Los Campesinos! – No Blues

A consistently infectious fifth studio LP...

Since arriving with lo-fi twee-pop songs about mixtapes and matching band T-shirts on 2008’s ‘Hold On Now, Youngster…’, Cardiff-formed Los Campesinos! have blossomed into a charismatic, romantically bleak indie act.

Their fifth studio album ‘No Blues’ highlights the sextet’s talent for combining gloomy lines like “I was the first match struck at the first cremation” (‘What Death Leaves Behind’) with anthemic power pop.

The hymnal, Efterklang-style ‘The Time Before The Last Time’ is a shoegaze-influenced triumph, while ‘Avocado, Baby’ (video below) boasts a thrilling synth-driven chorus.

Although weaker tracks are covered up by pristine studio trickery, ‘No Blues’ is consistently infectious and edges the band closer to mainstream territory.

7/10

Words: James Evans

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Stream ‘No Blues’ in full via Deezer, below…

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