Broken Records - Until The Earth Begins To Part

What brings the casual passer-by onto Broken Records’ territory is the diverse range of sonics and inspirations that come crashing together to make the multi-instrumentalism something different, incomparable to even the most compared of acts (all eyes on Arcade Fire..). But what’s surprising about this new single, the title-track from the forthcoming debut album, is its simplicity.

Sophisticated piano chimes and intelligent guitar work make this a little more exploratory than something on Coldplay’s ‘Parachutes’, but there are similarities to be found. This subdued effort isn’t anything like the furore the Scottish collective usually find themselves in. And whilst this can be seen as encouraging, providing evidence against anybody who could call them a ‘one-trick-pony’, it does nothing to wet the appetite for what should be an engaging debut album.

Broken Records, amongst a crop of upcoming talents, should stand out head and shoulders above the rest. But ‘Until The Earth Begins To Part’ offers no glimpse into anything we haven’t heard before. Instead, it inhales unoriginal and clichéd approaches to balladry, making what could pass as a gentle, warm affair into something almost unnoticeable.