On this, their fourth album proper, the Rochester foursome extend their sonic palette and push themselves into new territories, while retaining sight of what it is that they’re best at, namely penning well-crafted and succinct pop tunes.
Lead single ‘Port Bou’ kicks the album off with a jittery post-punk vibe that hints at circa 1984 – think Echo and the Bunnymen, but also Rose of Avalanche and the spikier, gothier side of the dark pop that was ubiquitous back then, and ‘Locked together on the Lines’ has a similar atmosphere. It also boasts a strong melody, some neat harmonies and a thumping rhythm section bursting with energy.
Much of the album is what one might readily call vintage indie, and continues the trajectory of At the End of a River, the Sea...’ (2012) and ‘We Don’t Know Where We Are’ (2014) (they do love their ellipses). But on this outing, the jangle of the predecessor has been trimmed back to forge a more direct, forthright sound.
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Lyrically, Oliver Burgess delivers kitchen sink critiques (‘Is that for you?’ has a distinctly Wedding Present-y flavour) and moments of pure, uplifting joy side by side to make for an album that’s perfectly balanced, and never anything less than absolutely accessible.
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