Quietly positioning themselves into the mainstream consciousness over the last few years this hardworking band are primed to blow up.

The Lottery Winners are a type of band that I had thought no longer existed. Whilst pop absorbed a lot of guitar music with a friendly sheen in the 2010s there was a decline in what I would call proper indie-pop music. However, here stand The Lottery Winners, ready to claim the indie-pop crown from bands like ‘The Lightning Seeds’ and ‘The Beautiful South.’ It is debatable if there is a harder working, more approachable band out there today. Lottery Winners are everywhere, small venues, medium venues, supporting bigger artists in bigger venues and winning hearts and minds wherever they go. They genuinely have time for everyone, they love meeting fans, and they love making people into new fans. Thom Rylance is a constant presence in a range of social media settings.

Koko is a gorgeous riot of colour and happiness. Singles ‘Superpower,’ about Thom’s ADHD and the sparkling duet ‘You Again’ kick off the album. Of the unreleased material ‘Struggling’ instantly catches the ear, an anthem for anyone having an off day that sounds likely to soundtrack a tonne of TV videos by the end of the year. This album has a knack for making anything sound uplifting, ‘Panic Attack’ plays against the source material with a tremendously happy sounding chorus. ‘Turn Around’ is infectiously catchy, an outstanding single ready to fill arenas.

Lottery Winners absolutely love a collaboration, it is an expectation baked into their albums at this point. On this one we get Reverand and the Makers, a second effort with the indie-legend Frank Turner, Shed Seven and most preposterous of all a return spot for Nickleback’s Chad Kroeger. None of these are frivolous, they are all well-crafted and play into the guest’s strengths. Turner helps power the propulsive pop of ‘Dirt and Gold’ having never sounded so mainstream. ‘Ragdoll’ relies on Kroeger’s gravelly tones for a classic chorus contribution, Nickelback have always flirted with credibility but his voice works brilliantly against Katie Lloyd’s lead vocals.

The final track sums up the whole album. ‘Keep on Keeping on,’ the acronym of Koko. You might have problems, you might have mental health concerns, you might be having a bad day… but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick yourself up again and make some progress. It is their recognition of the difficulties and flaws of life that makes them so easy to connect to. The Lottery Winners are a band that both men and women can equally enjoy, that you can introduce your Gran to, that you can share with your children. All of life is found here, and what a joyous life it is. Such an antidote it is to the current media doom cycle it should probably be available on prescription through the NHS.