Round-up Tracks: Disclosure, Preoccupations, Bastille, The Avalanches & more

The brothers Lawrence have built a large chunk of their name on guest appearances, while giving more than a few singers their big break in the process. ‘Boss’, from new EP ‘Moog For Love’, sees the band head away from the bright lights and back into their old stomping ground, the club. World beaters they might’ve become with ‘Settle’ and ‘Caracal’, but the band’s house roots seep in more on ‘Boss’ than ever, and its a refreshingly simple powerhouse, set away from their big name guest stars. (Will Richards)

Bastille’s first teaser of new album ‘Wild World’ came in the form of ‘Lesser Of 2 Evils’, a creeping interlude seeing Dan Smith at his most booming and twisted.

First single proper ‘Good Grief’ is the polar opposite - a lesson in maximalism that shows Bastille at their most playful and confident. ‘Bad Blood’ showed the band as able to twist some pretty bleak subject matter into heart-pumping pop, and ‘Good Grief’ lays it out more clearly than before - Smith’s even “dancing at a funeral”.

Bonkers voiceovers, almost gospel backing vocals and a chorus to rival even that of ‘Pompeii’ - Bastille are hurtling into their second album with crashing momentum. Seems like these little maniacs want to release one of the hits of the year. (Will Richards)

An undisputed, chart-ready #banger doesn’t need more than a gigantic chorus. Backstories don’t especially matter, but Scandinavian newcomer Skott is keen for people to know that she grew up in a commune, surrounded by folk musicians and unaware of contemporary music.

How this upbringing plays into ‘Porcelain’ is anyone’s guess. Folk traditions are nowhere to be found. But one thing’s for sure - this isn’t your everyday, future A-List electro pop banger. Old school instrumentation builds a web around Skott’s vocal, which leapfrogs from standard notes to the most bonkers, unreachable places. In a subtle, roundabout way, she makes her point loud and clear - she’s anything but conventional. (Jamie Milton)

After a slight implosion and a silent few years in the ether, it’d be fair to assume Two Door Cinema Club might want to torch the rulebook. Second album ‘Beacon’ failed to light the way forward, itself often feeling like an echo of debut album ‘Tourist History’. Most bands would kill for an opportunity to regroup like Two Door have had the last two years - a hands-off-the-reigns moment, primed to pack full of experimentation and evolution, ahead of a second shot at the throne whenever they were ready.

Instead, comeback single ‘Are We Ready? (Wreck)’ feels more like a who’s-who of the generation Two Door once fired up and led forward. The flexing basslines of Foals; the high-gloss pop polish of The 1975; the quivering vocal of Vampire Weekend - it’s all present and correct, Two Door taking up their place as grandfathers of the scene before those red locks have even shown a shred of grey. It’s perfect radio fodder, and to denounce a band for playing to their strengths would be trite, but the world’s not playing catch-up with Two Door Cinema Club anymore. Their influence has leap-frogged them, and it’s up to the rest of ‘Gameshow’ to prove they’re still worthy of the red carpet. Game on? (Tom Connick)

On last year’s ‘Viet Cong’ debut, Matthew Flegel spends much of his time trying to express crippling self-doubt, nagging unease and everything in between. There’s no stopping him on ‘Anxiety’, a heavygoing thud that’s mirrored by the Canadian group’s distinct instrumentation, a sense of fear epitomised.

Buried deep in ‘Anxiety’ is a shiny, happy hook. A four-note synth line, played in isolation it could find itself in a nursery rhyme. But Preoccupations surround the scene in ominous tension, one whole minute of noise easily mistaken for a panic siren. Flegel’s vocal, closer to a growl than anything else, gets wrapped up in a deadly web of harsh noise. “I’m spinning in a vacuum / deteriorating to great acclaim,” he sings, poetically conveying the darkness that descends when anxiety truly strikes. On their first work, Preoccupations dived deep in to a black hole. This time, they’re adding new shades to gloom, a new means of expressing their bleakest thoughts. (Jamie Milton)

Speaking to Zane Lowe, The Avalanches mentioned how Robbie Chater’s mum was privy to new song ‘Colours’. They recorded the track, which features Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue, in their lounge room. “I think it’s nice!” she told the group, as they went through an endless process of mixing and retouching.

Apparently this track went through “over a hundred” edits, remarkable given how easy-flowing and effortless this returning gambit sounds. “Nice” might not cut it. There are subtle, barely-there shades beneath the depths, but ‘Colours’’ lead line is a simple dayglow ode to dull days. Twisted strings and fluttering samples come and go, but everything revolves around this dreamy psych centrepiece. Testament to all the effort, it’s the kind of melody worth poring over for years. (Jamie Milton)

Looking back, it all seems a bit silly that Kero Kero Bonito were once pegged as PC Music contemporaries. Sure, they probably share a WhatsApp group with A.G. Cook - Gus Lobban is part PC alumni, as Kane West - but their shiny convention-flipping pop is shedding new ideas with every move. There’s nothing faddy about KKB’s pursuit - that much has been made clear in the last few months.

2016 hot-footed house number ‘Lipslap’ put forward a new agenda. ‘Break’ is another landmark moment, a slick pop ‘ballad’ with a keen eye for apathy. “There’s not much better than nothing at all / And that’s especially true, where there is something to do,” sings Sarah Bonito over a Billie-Piper-doing-Christmas-songs backdrop. It sounds effortless, but in reality KKB are flexing their pure pop muscle more than ever.

Tags: Bastille, Disclosure, Preoccupations, The Avalanches, Listen, Features