Evans the Death - Expect Delays

Evans The Death’s second album practically picks up where their self-titled debut left off – the latter’s melancholic closer, ‘You’re Joking’, serves as a neat predecessor to the first 30 seconds of ‘Expect Delays’’ opener, ‘Intrinsic Grey’.

After that first 30 seconds though, the guitars and drums kick in, and Katherine Whitaker’s vocals become less delicate and more of the angry yowling sort – in the best way. As she sings about never being enough, it’s hard to tell who she’s angrier at – society or herself.

Compared to their first release, the band seem to have sharpened up. Songs like ‘Terrified’, with its clever keyboard moments and funky bass, and the brash ‘Clean Up’ seem more polished, although they’re sure not any cheerier. ‘Idiot Button’, with the painfully realistic line, “I can’t explain the gaps in my employment history” will more than certainly connect with the hoards of unemployed grads who’ve had to move back in with mum and dad. It’s a wholly relatable album for anyone a bit miserable, really.