7/10

Transgressive | 11.02.13

ItÔÇÖs at the point when the swaggering four minute opener Prelude has built up to a close and the riff of lead single Inhaler thunders into life that it becomes clear that for their third album Holy Fire, the Oxford indie kings have yet again taken their sound in a different direction to their 2008 debut.

On their second album they traded in most of Antidotes jittery math-rock-dance soundfor a more upgraded sound which still had the angular guitar lines of their debut but with an added depth and maturity that resulted in songs as strong as Spanish Sahara. However, without the fun hooks and breakdowns of the first album which often sounded like the aural equivalent of ADHD, some sections of the album didnÔÇÖt really do much and just ended up sounding like a pretentious drag.

Lead singer Yannis was recently quoted saying that he made this album purely for people to enjoy, and it really is noticeably more engaging than Total Life Forever. TheyÔÇÖve really hit their stride on their third album, an accumulation of eight years of experience playing together which combines the confident immediacy of their debut with the substance and atmospherics of their second album, resulting in an album which is consistently strong from the cocky start to the sparse and moody finisher Moon.

Stephen Springate