NO CEREMONY/// - NO CEREMONY///

If much of this self titled debut feels familiar, it’s simply that many of these tracks were unleashed as singles over the past 18 months or so. In such a fickle musical climate this is often a downfall but the music on ‘NO CEREMONY///’ is still unfailingly forward-thinking. Those paying a close eye to the credits will notice the appearance of Joey Santiago from the Pixies who adds abrasive guitar to the pulsing ‘Heartbreaker’, and James Vincent McMorrow whose heart-tearing vocals are the perfect fit for ‘Awayfromhere’. It’s here that piano and synth claps are punctuated by bursts of acoustic guitar to create what can best be described as an indie ‘Love The Way You Lie’.

Whilst there are only nine tracks here, ideas are present in abundance. ‘Holdonme’ tastefully rolls out the vocoders whilst ‘Partofme’ is nothing short of sublime, shifting gear from piano driven xx-esque house to dubstep and then back again before exploding into the sort of full blown euphoric electro rave that Crystal Castles excel at. With such diversity of styles it can’t be chance that brought about the track sequencing: it works as a cohesive end-to-end listen. There is youthful energy and enthusiasm bursting from every part of this record, lifting the album from a mere collection of interesting singles to a strong a shot of a statement of real intent.