ALT-J U&ME he trio’s first new music T since 2018’s remix album ‘Reduxer’, ‘U&ME’ feels more like a warm up for the main event than a big comeback single proper. The classic alt-J tropes are out in full force - Joe Newman’s immediately recognisable vocal tripping over obscure tongue twisters (“Flashing in the dark, my luminescent tongue…”) as languid, strangely sultry backing dances around him; aside from an instrumental string section burst, we’re in familiar territory. Which is to say that ‘U&ME’ is a solid reminder of why alt-J have quietly become a very big band, but also that after three years away, we reckon they’ve got a few more tricks up their sleeve yet. (Lisa Wright)
LET’S EAT GR ANDMA Hall Of Mirrors Having graduated from purposefully rickety beginnings on debut ‘I, Gemini’ to the more fleshed out, widescreen world of 2018’s ‘I’m All Ears’, ‘Hall of Mirrors’ marks another step forward for Norwich BFFs Let’s Eat Grandma - a dizzying trip through the exciting first flashes of new romance, and one of their most straightforward (a good thing) offerings yet. Where their early steps pushed the quirks at all costs, their latest is a pulsing headrush that channels the feel of the fairground to describe the sensory overload of crushing hard; it’s relatable, evocative and shows that LEG have fully outgrown needing tricks to get their point across. (Lisa Wright)
AMBER MARK - WHAT IT IS Wondering about the meaning of life isn’t exactly new lyrical territory when it comes to songwriting, but there’s something wonderfully liberating about Amber Mark’s fresh new take on the much-pondered question. A slinky confessional of a track, ‘What It Is’ is a rich and shimmering cut from the singer’s long-anticipated debut, that sees her existential thoughts paired with slick R&B beats and funky guitars. “Feel it in my bones / Oh I’ve got to know / Tell me what it is,” she reasons with the universe. She may not quite have this riddle figured out just yet, but on ‘Three Dimensions Deep’, we’re willing to bet she’s got some wisdom of her own to offer up. (Sarah Jamieson)
16 DIYMAG.COM
YEARS & YEARS Crave The second taste of forthcoming third album ‘Night Call’, ‘Crave’ is a surreal trip into another world that’s equal parts luscious, moody, and irresistible, Olly Alexander’s vocals weaving and winding around the sultry instrumental, an electrotinged beating heart that palpitates with synth and shimmer. ‘Crave’ effortlessly balances the line between darkness and delight, replete with an appropriately sensual, strange video - Years & Years are back and just as ambitious, and their return is already entrancing. (Ims Taylor)
IDLES The Beachland Ballroom
Heading into their fourth album in as many years, the prolific rate at which IDLES work could be a curse as much as a blessing; progression generally takes time, and time is something the Bristolians rarely seem to afford themselves. And so the fact that lead single ‘The Beachland Ballroom’ is genuinely, markedly different from anything they’ve penned before - a soulful, warm lilt helmed by a vocal performance by Joe Talbot that swaps the belligerence for something altogether softer - feels quite remarkable. ‘Ultra Mono’ might have stoked the kindling of backlash; their return should earn them nothing but praise. (Lisa Wright)
