Ultimate Painting - Green Lanes

Having only released their first LP nine months ago, the arrival of Ultimate Painting’s second release ‘Green Lanes’ may come as a surprise. Thankfully, in delivering an album so soon after their first, James Hoare and Jack Cooper show a prolificness to be matched. With ‘Ultimate Painting’, they created timeless, off-beat pop that enveloped itself in rich melodies as much as it did angular progressions. On ‘Green Lanes’, the duo have successfully developed their song-writing whilst retaining all the elements that made their first such a subtle pleasure.

It’s in their deft ability to construct a pop-song that the duo provide their most impressive qualities. The gentle harmonies encompass the whole record within an air of tranquility, while their considered approach to hazy guitar progressions and penchant for subtle additions further display the natural adeptness they possess. ‘Break The Chain’’s sudden inclusion of piano mid-way through the track is off-kilter yet welcoming, while ‘I Was Lost’ possesses the grandest production in a chorus to be heard, sweeping into luscious harmony that’s as much uplifting as it is inviting.