Damn, damn, delicious, damn. London Grammar go straight for your spine in their second album, Truth Is A Beautiful Thing.
We already knew the key players that would take the field: Hannah Reid and her existentially blissful vocals, Dan Rothman and his other-worldly guitar, and Dot Major and his crisp, crackling beats and electronics.
Together, these three have created an album of sweeping, melodic tracks that explore the complexities of the things we try to hold close but absolutely cannot control.
Across the album, London Grammar play to their strengths. Reid soars out; rich, ethereal and enveloping. She’s anchored by simple, plaintive chords that do their heart-striking good while they’re lightly coated with strings.
Edgy beats scamper in, then fade again, and raw, tangy electric guitar riffs punctuate the space. It all eventuates in a very satisfying, layered journey of heart and ambiguity and soul. It’s happy/sad music. That’s what they did on their first album, and it’s what they’ve done again.
‘Hell To The Liars’ is a standout track; gorgeous and full while remaining stark. “Here’s to the things you love,” sings Reid, at once a celebration and memorial.
Truth Is A Beautiful Thing is an album that will permeate right through your car as you make your way along the coast at sunrise.
Truth Is A Beautiful Thing is out Friday June 9 through Dew Process/Universal.
