If you have enough confidence and ambition, then second albums don’t need to be difficult and here’s a glowing example! Recorded in Iceland, the band have clearly invested time in an LP that is full of purpose and a clear step up from their 2009 debut, ‘These Four Walls’. There’s lucid progression from that composition, with both refinement and a willingness to take a few risks. Whilst the pigeon-hole will still read ‘indie rock’, the approach is one that challenges conventions, with some extremely clever arrangements, incorporating bursts of channelled energy. It’s hard-edged, it’s proficient and most certainly smarter than the average band.
8/10
Words by TC
