In 2004, deep into an indie revival that was beginning to turn stale, Kasabian harked to the glory days of Oasis’ pint-hurling, line-scoffing peak. In a kind of inevitable circularity, the Leicester band’s laddish swagger was somewhat refreshing as labels scoured Camden for pretentious, trilby-wearing rockers in the Doherty mould.

Their eponymous debut, built on distorted bass, chant-able hooks and a wilful disregard for meaningful lyricism, was admittedly a fun ride. But then, due to a decline in supply of festival headliners or arena-ready rock bands, Kasabian continued to become fucking massive as their music got worse. Each of their four albums since their debut hit number one, and they soundtracked pretty much every FIFA game and even a season of the actual Premier League.

Now they’re back with For Crying Out Loud, our “Saviours of Rock’n’Roll” (the band’s actual words – just how many saviours have we had now?). Opener ll Rey (The King) is all blistering pace and confusing bravado: ‘trying to start a war/ I’ve heard it all before/ Now fetch me a milkshake/ Don’t forget the straw’. So far, so Kasabian. Then, an overwrought disco bridge juts in, nodding vigorously at Daft Punk’s Get Lucky. It feels like Steve Aoki just pulled out Smells Like Teen Spirit at Tomorrowland, and it’s solid evidence that many years spent in a circle-jerk of the major labels and ego-strokers will lead to some hideous creative decisions.

It doesn’t get much better from there. The Party Never Ends’ spaghetti-western guitar roll sort of pays off, but You’re In Love With A Psycho is remarkable only in that such a flat song has be chosen as a lead single – with a problematic video to boot. Attempts at mixing it up fare worse: Sixteen Blocks rides the off-beat like one of Ed Sheeran’s reggae numbers, Wasted seriously evokes It’s Raining Men, while Are You Looking For Some Action repeats the crimes of the opener with eight minutes of limp disco, complete with bonus saxophone. A bloated, tedious mess.

Theo Kotz