On their 2013 debut Where The Heaven Are We, Birmingham’s Swim Deep stood proud as a band quite convinced the nation was still in thrall to Madchester and the early 1990s baggy movement.
Two years on, and with the quartet boosted to a five-piece with the addition of keyboardist/percussionist James Balmont, the band face the same problem confronted by their forefathers: Where do we go from here?
The solution they’ve come up with – up the psychedelia quotient and thicken the overall sound – sounds simple enough on paper, but anyone long in the tooth to remember the mess The Charlatans got into when they tried a similar trick on sophomore release Between 10th and 11th knows otherwise.
The band are savvy enough not to throw the baby (Where The Heaven Are We’s stellar tunes and lightness of touch) out with the bathwater (its slightly thin sound). Balmont also more than justifies his promotion from touring guest to permanent member, especially on full-on electronic epic Fueiho Boogie.
The result is a peculiarly timeless melodic grooveathon suitable for space cadets and pop kids alike.
Like this? Try these: Tame Impala, Currents; New Order, Technique
By Andrew Greenhalgh
<a href=”https://twitter.com/adjgreenhalgh” target=”_blank”>@adjgreenhalgh</a>
<a href=”http://www.andrewgreenhalgh.co.uk” target=”_blank”>www.andrewgreenhalgh.co.uk</a>
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