The song ‘Tic Tac Toe’ touches base with the organic drive of their self-titled debut, with an acoustic guitar chug that is underpinned by a driving drum machine and overlayed with a four-part harmony led by main vocalist Vincent Neff. While its familiarity is not overly challenging, it is a well-met hat tip to their debut’s hit single ‘Default’.
The very “now” track ‘Surface to Air’ feels like a major label single. It’s a collaboration with Self Esteem – the rather obtuse pseudonym for the solo work of Slow Club’s Rebecca Taylor – and while it has potential, the end product is coldly kitschy.
The aforementioned misfire and the familiarity of ‘Tic Tac Toe’ have the album sitting at about 6/10, but two songs, ‘In Your Beat’ and ‘Beam Me Up,’ drive the album into the must-listen realm of 8/10.
‘In Your Beat’ feels like where the band is in context to a chronological sonic evolution. The rhythms are deep and textured and the structure doesn’t take the easy way out, a little bit like Hot Chip’s ‘Need You Now’ or even Depeche Mode’s ‘Never Let Me Down Again’.
8/10
