After a three-year stint of touring the world, this down-in-the-mouth foursome is making an official return to our iPods this July – and you may notice something a little off about Our Love to Admire. No longer indie-owned, the atmospheric New Yorkers have moved up the ranks to major label Capital Records and are working with producer Rich Costly to create a more sophisticated, layered sound that even features natural over synthetic orchestration. The album feels more diverse and deliberate than their previous efforts, probably since its entirety was written in the studio (not on tour, as usual).
But don’t fret, they’re no Joss Stone – the boys aren’t giving up their goods for a few shekels more: Paul Bank’s voice is just as piercing in its atonal trump and his lyrics hang just as gloomy, even a little cheeky (as in first single “”Heinrich Maneuver,”” out now). Instead of a departure, Love is an evolved, fleshy collection that slips a little funk into their fog without losing any of that signature melancholy.