Black Country, New Road - "For the first time" (2021)

 

Hailing from the same scene that launched black midi into the music-nerd sphere, Black Country, New Road have been gaining a lot of hype for their debut record For the first time. I put it on for the first time a few weeks ago and I am totally on board with the praise the album has been getting. Much like black midi, the group is broadly categorised as experimental post-punk but that label doesn't really express the shear amount of genres the band seamlessly encompasses into each of the 6 tracks here. Elements of post-rock and progressive rock are effortlessly woven with jazz and jazz-rock, and the group even heavily incorporates klezmer (a type of Eastern European Jewish folk music) into the first and last tracks. It is so dense with each new moment brimming with new ideas and approaches.

At 40 minutes and only 6 tracks, each track is long and given time and space to grow and permutate into completely different forms. Everything also sounds so clear, it's not experimental in it's production techniques, allowing for the tightness of the compositions and performances to really shine. The record feels very segmented, with each song feeling very separate and compartmentalised from each other; but because the band commits to this it works. It feels like a series of 6 vignettes than one feature film. However, they all follow similar themes and concepts with frontman Isaac Wood's eclectic lyrics detailing stories about characters that are seemingly experiencing complete mental dysfunction and breakdowns. These first person perspective tracks go into such excruciating detail about minute and mundane things that it almost comes across as comic at some points. And I believe that it's intentional, these characters are losing their minds, it is supposed to sound hysterical.

The record opens with the introductory Instrumental. This track starts with a simple math rock groove before being quickly smothered by the Klezmer instrumentation of woodwind and trumpets. The track builds and builds to this super kinetic climax and breakdown. The descending melodies just make you want to move and gets the adrenaline pumping hard. Athens, France couldn't be more different. Starting of as a post-punk song, the track then shifts to film noir reminiscent jazz with a recurring James Bond-esque swell, before settling out into a serene chiming guitar led outro. It's dynamic but also quite gentle, which is in contrast Isaac's disturbed lyrics which seem to reference the demise of the group's predecessor, Nervous Condition, which disbanded due to sexual harassment claims against that group's lead singer. It comes across as almost a severe sense of shame that the band has inherited NC's members (bar the vocalist), musical style and potentially legacy. It's a complex emotion and masked under layers of subversion and diverting lines referencing speakers and Phoebe Bridgers.

The next two tracks are the most deranged on the record and the most reminiscent of their scene contemporaries, black midi. Science Fair unravels as this song that is about the protagonist's obsession with a woman that he meets in multiple situations, the titular science fair and then the Cirque du Soleil, or at least he thinks he meets her, he's that obsessed. It implies that maybe he's attacked her (or who he thinks is her) by the end of the song and runs off into the distance, but the details are murky and vague like some sort of fever dream. Musically, this is paired with a noisy and discordant combination of distorted guitars and wild horns and sax. Sunglasses, similarly tells the story of a 20-something that feels so lost and worthless that he's verging on a breakdown. Until he puts on a pair of sunglasses, in an effort to hide his vulnerability from the world. However this clearly isn't working as Isaac screams "I'm more than adequate, leave your Sertraline in the cabinet", as if he's trying to convince himself that he's okay and doesn't need the antidepressants that have been proscribed to him.

The only drawbacks the album has is that is so lyrically intense and somewhat pretentious that not every moment or lyric lands for me. The album feels like it's stuffed full of in-jokes and winks and nods to people involved with the scene, and when the band tries to go for something more relatable and straight up on Track X, it doesn't come across like they really are. The track just feels like it has dialled back on the eccentricity and insanity. However the record does end on a strong point, bringing back the Klezmer and combining it more with post-punk and experimental rock instrumentation and structures.

For the first time is certainly not a record for everyone, it's obnoxious and fairly pretentious, but it is so well composed and performed with really unique song structures and topics that never gets old. It has so many twists and turns and is nothing but exhilarating.

Top Tracks: Instrumental, Athens, France, Science Fair, Sunglasses, Opus

8/10

Wolf Alice - "Blue Weekend" (2021)

I have been eagerly anticipating Wolf Alice's return after 2017's Visions Of A Life, the group's second record and one that has grown into one of my all time favourites over the past 4 years. That album was such an expressive and expansive development from their debut, shaking off the more derivative aspects of their sound to create this perfect storm of chaotic noise rock and shoegaze. Blue Weekend follows VOAL by going in a slightly different direction. Enlisting the help of producer Markus Dravs (known for producing the biggest stadium sized rock albums from Coldplay, Florence And The Machine and Arcade Fire), and brimming in confidence from VOAL's Mercury Prize win, the band have crafted their biggest, most epic sounding record so far; yet also their softest and most accessible.

Blue Weekend leans much more on the dream pop side of the dreampop-shoegaze spectrum, with the record achieving the bands trademark hazy atmosphere more with waves of woozy, washed out synths rather than noisy, fuzzed out guitars and layers of feedback. There are still heavier moments on this album, but they're a lot less frequent than on the first two records. Not that it's a bad thing, though, as the song writing is as good (if not better) than it always has been. The lyrics are more direct this time around, focusing on the same sorts of themes of breakups, feeling out of place and lost that the band always has; but in more structured narrative that results in the record feeling like the most focused and cohesive of the three. The more consistent softer sound and shorter runtime also contribute to this feeling.

The record kicks off with the intro track, the short and building The Beach. This song is like a mission statement for the entire album, with Ellie Rowsell declaring that she's 'sick of circling the drain', hungover every weekend and that she doesn't want to battle and fight with someone (and old friend or partner who are no longer seeing eye to eye) anymore. The track linearly builds through lusher and lusher layers of synths and reverb and just sets the tone and frame of mind for the record so well. This is followed by the slow and loose Delicious Things, with the off kilter drums and smooshy psychedelic guitar tones creating this woozy, sort of drunken feel to the song. Rowsell sings in this hushed, staccato way about feeling like she's made it being a rockstar in Hollywood but also feeling lost and vulnerable to the kind of temptations and exploitative people that are part of the LA music and movie culture. The song has a real sense of honesty and balance to it, and really conveys Ellie's mixed, confused emotions without ever coming across like she's lost her agency.

The next track, Lipstick On The Glass, furthers the intricate emotional writing, being a breakup song that details the complexity and layers of grey instead of painting a simplified picture. Ellie sings about a fracturing relationship where it seems she has been cheated on by her partner, but is brutally honest about knowing she would take them back despite the unfaithfulness; yet it's not a song about forgiveness. It sits between the lines of anger and longing in a way that I don't see all that often. Musically, the song feels like it draws influence from a couple of places that the band hasn't really shown before. The strummed acoustic guitar and the flourishes of electric guitar licks that are the basis of the verses are very reminiscent of Jeff Buckley, especially with Ellie singing the entire of the verses in a super high, soulful falsetto that reminds me of his singing style. The track shifts to layered arpeggiated guitars in the chorus and bridge that feel more like Radiohead's In Rainbows. It's an entertaining meeting of these styles that are once again layered up and mushed together with tonnes of multitracked vocals that makes the track sound massive. If Delicious Things feels a bit drunk, Lipstick On The Glass is the point where you're getting quite drunk and the lights and sounds around you start to merge together and you know you should probably stop soon.

Smile is the first of two heavier, more traditionally rock songs on the record. It's a piece of poppy post-grunge that's reminiscent of the heavier moments on the first record, with chugging drums and bass, buzzing lead guitar and soaring, anthemic vocals from Ellie. The lyrics of the song feel much like clean summary of the themes of the record thus far, with Ellie telling us who she is as a person and why she can't just be put in a box as an 'raging rock frontwoman' or 'hysterical lonely girl' ect. The writing doesn't feel quite as personal as the first few tracks, but it doesn't have to be; it is one of the singles after all. And the relatability of the track really do give it legs in that respect. The second of the two is called All The Greatest Hits, and is the shortest song on the record. The track starts as a blistering riot grrl punk track about those obnoxious afterparties that we've all been to, where the music is too loud and the people are off their faces. But at the 50 second mark, the song flips on its head to become perhaps the most viscerally heavy track the band has created so far. Ellie screams at the top of her lungs, "IS IT LOUD ENOUGH??!!" against the backdrop of wailing feedbacked guitars, sirening synths and staccato strings that flood every corner of the mix. It's unbelievably chaotic and intense.

As tracks 4 and 7, these songs break the album into three legs separated by these heavier moments. The middle part of the record in between these two songs are Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love) and How Can I Make It Ok?. Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love) is an acoustic, fingerplucked folk tune with the earnest and relatable topic of not letting yourself fall in love to stop yourself getting hurt. While it has grown on me significantly due to the emotionally raw lyrics and Ellie's expressive cadence and delivery of them, I do feel like it is the weakest track on the record primarily due to the excessive multitracked vocals and the recurring refrain of the title running a tad repetitive. I feel like a more intimate approach to the vocals would've fit the tracks overall vibe and aesthetic much more. How Can I Make It OK? is something the band has never really attempted before, an 80's new wave / synth pop meets dream pop cut which is so damn catchy. The reverb gated drums, airy synths and snappy vocal melodies just stick in my head effortlessly. The track slowly introduces new elements then layers them up to the point where they're all just bouncing off each other.

The final leg of the record similarly progresses through several unique styles through the filter of band's dreamy production, although this part of the record feels the most grand and cinematic. Kicking off the back end is Feeling Myself, a track with a simple premise, men are shit lovers and Ellie feels she can do a better job herself. But the track is presented in a dramatic linear fashion with lush synth and string swells that make it seem like the accompaniment to the final scene of a movie. While I do really respect the song, I have found that I haven't been connecting with it like the other tracks, but I'm not exactly the target audience so that's understandable. I can totally see it being the album highlight for a lot of people. Following this is the soaring, anthemic piano ballad and lead single, Last Man On Earth. It's a song about feeling alone and out of place, even when perhaps you feel like you should be happy and you're not quite sure why you're not. It's a theme the band has nailed consistently in the past and once again deliver. It slowly drags itself from a place of insecurity and isolation to confidence and self-satisfaction. It make's the miniscule feel important and could cheer anyone up if they're feeling this way.

The record finishes up on it's most sentimental and sweetest moments, being No Hard Feelings and The Beach II. No Hard Feelings comes back to the acoustic folk vibes of Safe From Heartbreak, but is much more intimately and simply produced, which lends to the honesty of the song which provides a sense of conclusion to the albums romantic and breakup themes. Its a song about moving on without any lingering resentment to pastures new. The guitar tones on the track are just so perfect, it feels like you're just sat in room with Ellie and an acoustic. The Beach II similarly provides conclusion to the themes of longing and soul-searching, as Ellie accounts watching the sun rise at the beach with her friends, and is reminded that that is all she needs, friends and a plastic cup fill with wine. The low end of the mix is dominated with feedback drenched guitars that sound like an aeroplane taking off, with the chiming lead guitar and Ellie's vocals on top sounding at peace with her self.

Blue Weekend is as fantastic record, and also unique within the band's catalogue. Instead of just repeating what worked so well on VOAL, the band has tried a lot of new things that have for the most part paid off. They've kept true to themselves, and the bands identity and strengths and produced another record I'm gonna have on for years. I think I do still just about prefer the rougher, more chaotic nature of of Visions Of A Life, but Blue Weekend is only a slither behind it in all honesty.

Top Tracks: The Beach, Delicious Things, Lipstick On The Glass, Smile, How Can I Make It OK?, All The Greatest Hits, Last Man On Earth, No Hard Feelings, The Beach II

9/10

my bloody valentine - "loveless" (1991)

Turns out finishing your degree takes a lot of your time, so it has been pretty quiet on here for a couple of months. But one of the records that has been on repeat while I have been working is this, my bloody valentine's loveless. Shoegaze as a genre has peaked my interest ever since I got into Wolf Alice as a teenager and really adored that aspect of their sound. I started with Slowdive's Souvlaki a few years ago, however never seeked out loveless, the apparent pinnacle of the genre, as mbv had removed their library from streaming. But now it has returned, and so of course I had to check out this record that I have heard so much about.

And damn I see why this record gets so much praise. If  I could describe it in one word, it would be 'visceral'. It simply blows you back with the shear volume of sound that every track here forces upon you, it feels like standing in front of a jet engine. But at the same time it never feels uncontrollably or unlistenably noisy. The sounds ebb, flow and spiral. Crashing, heavenly highs are followed by buzzing and lowkey comedowns. Loud-soft dynamics come into play both between tracks in the sequencing of the album, and within tracks themselves. The opener, only shallow, exemplifies this perfectly; smacking you right in the face with this screeching, distorted guitar line that sounds like a buzzsaw before giving way to the gentler verses where Bilinda Butcher's hazy, low in the mix vocals provide the simple lead melody that sticks in your head like some sort of lucid dream. The harsh guitars return throughout the track to snap you out of this haze.

Following only shallow are the three gentlest tracks on the record: loomer, touched and to here knows when. On loomer, there is so much distortion on all of the instruments and everything is mixed way down that only really the lead guitar and Butcher's vocals are clearly audible. The fuzz everywhere apart from the vocals makes it feel like Butcher is standing in the calm at the centre of a hailstorm. There is a weird, dark sense of serenity that the track captures. This dense, foggy atmosphere is carried through touched and to here knows when. However these tracks have a sense of beauty to them, as the addition of gliding synth lines compliment Butcher's voice making them more dreamy than dark.

These lead into the next high-energy track, and perhaps the albums highest high, when you sleep. This duet between frontman Kevin Sheilds and Bilinda is pure catchy indie power pop at its core, it is such as simple song with only really two melodic parts. But the fuzz and noise give it just so much cathartic energy. It is the kind of song you blast as loud as you can out of your cars stereo while breezing along roads in the summer. The following song, i only said, feels like very much a counterpart to when you sleep. It is still quite a high-energy song, but feels more drawn out; and with the juxtaposition of the soaring synth lines against the thicker, meatier bass and drum section feels like it's pulling back down to earth after the blast of euphoria that when you sleep provided.

This leads in quite well into come in alone, where the lower end of the mix is given much more prominence with it's chugging bass and whining guitar. The drums are pretty audible on this track which is pretty uncommon on the record. Sheilds' vocals also remind me a bit of Ian Brown of The Stone Roses, much lower in register than some of the hazy, dreamlike vocals earlier in the record. This is followed by another comedown, in the form of the beautiful ballad sometimes. Much like loomer, the most audible things on the song are Sheilds' hazy, melancholic vocals, the fuzzy bass and a hint of a strummed acoustic guitar; with some quiet synths popping up towards the end of the song. It's simple, but lets you get sucked into the quiet rumblings and is such a unique way to convey the emotional impact of a ballad.

The following couple of tracks are a little weaker than what has come before, mainly due to them not really providing much new that the album hasn't already covered. blown a wish is a droning, looping tune revolving around this simple synth line and Butcher's dreamy vocal melody. what you want follows in when you sleeps footsteps, being a raucous, energetic indie rock song that has been fuzzed out and warped. These songs are still really good on there own merits, but you can tell that at this point in the album, it has mostly shown everything it has up it's sleeve. The one thing it has left, is the alt dance meets shoegaze closer, soon. This 7 minute banger has this propulsive shuffling beat that just makes you want to move as the hazy guitars and Sheilds' woozy vocals wash over you and you settle into a kind of trance. It's a fantastic way to close the album off, dancing in a world of your own.

loveless is fantastic, and it's one of those records that you can hear its influence permeating through rock music up to this day. Aside from the shoegaze subgenre, I can hear it in the stadium-scale, maxed out mixes of the likes of Coldplay's Viva La Vida and much of Muse's catalogue; and the washed out dreaminess of a lot of 2000's and 2010's indie rock. While I don't think it is objectively perfect, it is just one of those records that you hear and trace so much back to it that it makes it a must listen in that regard.

Top Tracks: only shallow, loomer, touched, to here knows when, when you sleep, i only said, come in alone, sometimes, what you want, soon

9/10

Talking Heads - "Talking Heads: 77" (1977)

2021 has been the year I've really got into Talking Heads. I've known some of their biggest singles since childhood, and I've absolutely adored their magnum opus 1980's Remain In Light for a few years now; but this year has been the first time I've properly given the time to listen to their other records. Furthermore, I was gifted a record player for my birthday this year alongside this record so I feel like I should talk about it on the blog.

Talking Heads: 77 is the band's first record and is very much a skeletal blueprint of genre-melting fusion of post-punk, new wave, funk and dance music that the group would go onto produce on their later records. It's very simple and straight to the point, the tracks presented in this very raw, direct and intentional way. It's an album not bothered by pretence or concept, and I feel it makes it an incredibly replayable record because of it. It's 11 short, punchy, well written and interesting songs. Some might view the simplicity of this album as it being short on ideas, but it's got oodles of creativity and individuality, just presented in this really no-nonsense way.

The core of these songs is front man David Byrne's enigmatic and charismatic performance and his interplay with the simple and funky musical backing provided by the rest of the band. Byrne sings in this awkward, nasal and rhythmic way, shifting his tone and emphasis with each syllable of each word. At points it sounds like he's using his voice as an additional percussive instrument rather than singing in a traditional smooth, soulful way. Not that it isn't an emotional performance, as Byrne sounds really passionate, just not in a traditional way. This is matched by equally awkward and detached lyrics, where Byrne discusses a very literal interpretation of the world around him. He is baffled by how other people approach the problems in his life and they're emotional engagement in things beyond there control. One of the best tracks on the record, No Compassion, features the particular lyric "Talk to your analysist, isn't that what they're payed for" in reference to his complete disinterest in other people's benign struggles. He even presents love in this straightforward, matter of fact way; stripping it of all its mystic and glamour.

The tracks are also musically full of ideas, and are really dynamic and kinetic. Each song is built from a simple drum beat and a funky, dancy bass riff with whatever guitar lick, vocal inflection Byrne feels like doing, and additional instrumentation on top. The opener, Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town is one of the simplest tunes on the record, being this kind of stripped back disco meets post-punk song, but the simplicity makes room for one of the more exuberant Byrne performances on the record. Who Is It? is the shortest and one of the most whacky cuts with chunky, funky guitars and Byrne chanting "Who is it?" over and over. No Compassion builds and grows more aggressive as Byrne becomes more and more frustrated with other peoples problems. The now iconic single, Psycho Killer, features really tense post-punk instrumentation and harsh staccato vocals from Byrne. First Week / Last Week... Carefree has these calypso-style sax breaks and Tentative Decisions has this dance breakdown in it which sounds like something you'd find in an alt dance or Italo-house song from the early 90s. The closer Pulled Up is particularly memorable with the chorus constantly ascending the scales and this vibrant and dramatic way.

TH:77 is a great record, but for me somewhat will always stand in the shadow of the phenomenal music the would make further into their career. However, these are still really well written post-punk and new wave tunes that are effortlessly replayable. For some people, this record might be easier to get into than some of their later releases due to it's simplicity and catchiness.

Top Tracks: Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town, Tentative Decisions, Who Is It?, No Compassion, First Week / Last Week.. Carefree, Psycho Killer, Pulled Up

8/10

David Bowie - "Diamond Dogs" (1974)

 

So next up in the David Bowie discography is Diamond Dogs, where Bowie eschews from the Ziggy Stardust / Aladdin Sane character concept for an entirely new character, world and concept. The record was originally conceived as a musical adaptation of George Orwell's 1984, although his estate denied Bowie the rights to the novel. The idea was then reworked into Diamond Dogs, a post-apocalyptic concept album featuring the character Halloween Jack, a roller-skating, rogue, anti-hero who roams the rooftops of devastated Manhattan with his gang called the 'Diamond Dogs'. Musically, the record is somewhat transitional for Bowie; being still firmly rooted in glam rock territory, but with hints of the funk and soul music which would become centre stage of Bowie's next releases.

Diamond Dogs is unfortunately the first Bowie record that I've talked about here that hasn't really connected for me, due to a couple of reasons. Most prominently, the premise and concept feels clunky and underdeveloped. Some of the songs refer directly to 1984 as Bowie had already written some tracks before asking for the rights, and they feel awkwardly smooshed together with the Halloween Jack / Diamond Dogs ideas. This means neither element is really explored in great detail. The 1984 stuff feels like just a scant retelling of the book, and the album doesn't really explore who Halloween Jack is or what the world he lives in is like. The way the album is presented doesn't help these issues. The opening track is a dramatic spoken word intro, multiple tracks run into each other, and the whole album feels so grandiose that it makes it seem like it's about something. But the lyrical content doesn't really back this up and makes the whole record seem pretty pretentious.

The second issue for me is that the songs just aren't very memorable. The only truly vital Bowie track on the record is Rebel Rebel, which is one of his finest, catchiest and coolest songs ever. The chugging riff and Bowies charismatic swagger combine to make such an effortlessly cool tune. The other tracks are just unremarkably okay. The other more traditional glam rock songs feel very generic and by the numbers, and the other songs don't really work outside of the record due to generally being quite short and heavily involved with the albums story. And considering that the story and themes of the record don't really land, its ultimately detrimental to the tracks which are composed well with interesting elements to them. I'd say aside from Rebel Rebel, the run from Sweet Thing to Candidate to Sweet Thing (Reprise) is the most compelling part of the album. The three tracks have seamless transitions and taken as a complete whole they do build a compelling song that transitions between different sections that feels satisfying. However, as individual tracks they aren't memorable enough on their own; they only really work as the three track run.

Diamond Dogs isn't a bad album, but is held up by it's half-formed concept and the over-the-top theatrics which worm their way into almost every song here. This leaves the songs feeling uninspired and unimpactful at a micro level, and the whole album lacking any draw at the macro. The glam rock tropes feel tired and played out, and the elements of soul and funk feel more like window dressing than a full exploration of those sounds. For someone listening through Bowie's discography, I would recommend purely as a reference point for Bowie's musical shift and personal life at the time (his cocaine addiction was really ramping up at this point, probably explaining the lack of focus on the record); but it's not an album I'll come back to again and again like Ziggy and Aladdin Sane. Everything this album attempts, Bowie has done better both before and after.

Top Tracks: Sweet Thing, Candidate, Sweet Thing (Reprise), Rebel Rebel

5/10

Foo Fighters - "Medicine At Midnight" (2021)

Foo Fighters are one of those bands for me that deserve their legendary status based primarily on their singles and live show, not really their albums. Not that any of them are really all that bad, but the band has very much stayed in the same lane for the past 25 years, making basically the same record of feel-good, anthemic hard rock and post-grunge tunes with each go around. The singles are usually brilliant, but the lack of variety in the deep cuts means that even the band's most fan favourite albums have never really gripped me the whole way through.

This time around, though, things were different. Unfortunately, not in a good way. None of the singles really grabbed me, and were generally a bit meh. Which was worrying, as the singles are always the best tracks on a Foos record. Luckily this drop in quality hasn't transferred to the album tracks as well; they're just as fine-to-decent as Foos deep cuts. But without a couple of really great tentpole tracks, Medicine At Midnight really has no draw.

On the whole the band has mellowed out on this record compared to some of the others. The distortion is turned down, the rhythm section is tighter and slightly groovier, and none of the tracks descend into Dave Grohl's ferocious scream like you'd here on All My Life, White Limo and Run. Many of the tracks are laced with strings and other cinematic elements. It makes the album feel very polished and combined with the softer approach makes it feel more like a product than something with a lot of depth and heart. Which is weird, because Grohl clearly wears his heart on his sleeve in interviews about authenticity in music. It's not overbearing, but it just sounds a bit too clean considering Foo Fighter's ethos and aesthetic. 

Out of the 9 tracks here, Cloudspotter and No Son Of Mine are probably some of the better ones. Cloudspotter has this groovy garage rock vibe, and is one of the more rag-tag and unpolished sounding tracks here. No Son Of Mine feels like an homage to thrash metal. Its nowhere as heavy as true thrash, but the guitars chug, the drums thunder and Grohl puts in one of the more aggressive performances on the album. It's actually pretty catchy as well, which is more than most the songs here. The closer, Love Dies Young is also the only track that resembles some of the sing-a-long feel good anthems that are the band's most popular. It's an injection of energy that's welcome after how restrained and by the numbers the album has been leading up to it. These tracks do pale in comparison to the band's finest, but they're definitely more entertaining than the rest of the record.

Medicine At Midnight is a fine Foo Fighters record, but probably the group's least significant. The only other record on a similar level is Sonic Highways, but at least that album has the whole '8 songs recorded at 8 historical studios' thing going for it to make it somewhat notable. If you're a superfan of the band, there's plenty of stuff here that you'll enjoy; but as a casual fan it is going to always near the bottom of the list in the rare occasion that I want to listen to a Foos record in full.

Top Tracks: Cloudspotter, No Son Of Mine, Love Dies Young

5/10

Hayley Williams - "FLOWERS for VASES / descansos" (2021)

Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams struck it out solo last year with Petals For Armor, a mixed bag of a record which flitted between a bunch of styles, from art rock to new wave. This follow up, recorded entirely by Williams herself in lockdown, forgoes much of what that album did for a more stripped back, acoustic pop and indie folk style. What results is certainly a more cohesive and coherent album, if a more undercooked and forgettable one.

The record is framed as sort of a prequel to Petals For Armor, lyrically focusing once again on Hayley's divorce, and her relationship with herself and the outside world; but from a more desolate and devastated angle without the themes of self improvement and self worth that brought PFA out of its depressive slump. The combination of this tonal shift and the low-key, gentle instrumentation makes the record very sombre and isolating, like staring out of your window at dusk, watching the light slowly drain from the sky.

The record certainly has plenty of interesting ideas and moments, but they feel very stark and threadbare. There are textures and motifs which draw me into any given track, but they're not fleshed out enough or remixed to remain interesting for a songs runtime. Lyrically, a lot of the tracks feel underwritten as well. Many of the hooks get repetitive quickly, being simple words or phrases sung over and over with unremarkable melodies.

Some tracks do stick out as stronger than most on the album. Over Those Hills has a stronger sense of groove with more prominent bass and drums, and Hayley's vocals sound less fragile against them than they do on most of the songs. Similarly, the closing track, Just A Lover, is the closest thing to a rock tune on here, and it has some weight and purpose to it that a lot of the tracks lack. The gentle bass and uplifting piano chords gives the song an early Coldplay vibe, before the drums and noisy guitar come in on the back half. It has the same cool, calm swagger as some of Wolf Alice's slower tracks. I just wish it lasted longer, as it's one of the few tracks that could hold itself for more time. HYD opens with a plane flying over, interrupting Hayley, which adds to the atmosphere of the gentle finger plucked ballad about distance and disconnection. It's one of the most structurally simple tracks here, but also one of the tightest. It slowly opens up throughout, with the introduction of piano and spacey, atmospheric backing synths.

FFV is a very tasteful and listenable record, but I feel like it works best when you just stick it on while doing something else without really thinking about it. It hits a vibe, but doesn't really hold up on closer inspection. There's not enough variety between tracks, and they're mostly underdeveloped and unmemorable. They wash over you, and wash out almost instantly once they're done. It has its moments, but not big enough ones or enough of them.

Top Tracks: Over Those Hills, HYD, Just A Lover

5/10