If it feels like it’s been a long time since Egyptian Hip Hop broke onto the scene with their first EP Some Reptiles Grew Wings, that’s because it has been. Now two years on, their debut album Good Don’t Sleep has been released. Before this LP, it seems that Egyptian Hip Hop were still trying to find their true sound. Whilst some earlier songs such as ‘Moon Crooner’ fell into the generic indie category, others like ‘Native’ demonstrated a more complex, mature sound. As time has moved on, so Egyptian Hip Hop’s sound has developed, Good Don’t Sleep is the result of a satisfaction and a confidence in their own music – perhaps felt for the first time in their still remarkably short career. The end product is a distinct, atmospheric, and fundamentally more interesting production than anything we have heard from them before.

One striking aspect of Good Don’t Sleep is its ambiguity. Opening track ‘Tobago’ sets the tone - low key with hazy vocals, yet grounded in a guitar part so tight it could have been plucked from a Foals song. Next track ‘The White Falls’ is arguably the highlight of the album, building superbly into an intense, driven, angst filled crescendo. Even here though, Egyptian Hip Hop seem determined to add another dimension to the song, with echoing verses in striking contrast to the rest of the track.

Two songs have already been released from the album, and the first of these, ‘SYH’, is a demonstration of Egyptian Hip Hop at their best. The combination of tight percussion, pronounced bass, and shadowy synth creates swirls of sounds, unpredictable, yet rhythmic and infectious. The second, ‘Yoro Diallo’, shows the wide variety of their influences. It has a distinct World feel – unsurprising given it is named after a Malian musician – coupled with their wistful trademark sound to create an accomplished piece of pop. Singer Alex Hewett’s vocals are, here and throughout the album, both effective and intelligent. Often subtly adding atmosphere and another layer to the music, his voice is dominant when needed, but never overbearing.

‘Alalon’ is perfectly pleasant in its own right; well-crafted to create a serene, ambient tone. Yet Egyptian Hip Hop’s sound seems most natural and complete, when the synth is mysterious, the vocals uneasy, the bass line punch - and, in Good Don’t Sleep they seem to have grasped this. Fans have had to wait a long time for this release, but the end product, for most of them, will surely feel worth it; although as ‘Iltoise’ drifts out ethereally, you are already left wanting more.