The Race - In My Head It Works

is a record that requires and deserves repeated listens. Monolithic and cohesive, this album is multi layered with a fine attention to detail. It is also a record which despite having a host of disparate influences manages to sound fresh and unique. Where other bands have made smash and grab headline chasing records The Race have been quietly honing their art and their song craft.

At times the pounding and relentless build of their verses reminds us of Doves circa ‘Last Broadcast’, and some of the wilder endings have an unhinged but controlled nod to Radiohead, but these are essentially quite lazy comparisons because The Race have created their own sound .

Singles ‘Rude Boy’ and ‘I Get It Wrong’ sit nicely at the beginning easing the listener into the more intense run of album tracks. Multi layers of delayed guitars, echoed synths and and marching beats are the order of ‘Give Me Your Bible Again’. ‘Moorwood’ is transcendently pretty and chiming. ‘Better To Slip Away’ is reminiscent of Editors, and possibly Arcade Fire in an upbeat mood. Overall, though, this is a cohesive listening experience which negates singling out particular songs, and indeed the intelligent lyrical flow seems to suggest that the album really ought to be taken as a whole.

If we had any criticism it would be that this is such a dense record that (singles aside) has to be listened to all the way through for the full effect. It certainly requires a bit more concentration than the average Ting Tings offering we’ve become accustomed to hearing on the radio!