Delphic - Baiya

Well, it’s a lot punchier, isn’t it? Delphic’s first album was all swirling space synths, sensual melodies and swooning vocals, so much so that for all its brilliance and catchy tunes, it all blurred into one a bit – into one big, candle-lit astronaut date night. Now, they’re back. Hurrah. And there’s a bit more personality in the music. They’ve cheered up. Hurrah.

The rhythm and drums on ‘Baiya’ are immediately prevalent – they wake you from your mid-evening slumber – with Delphic opting for staccato time keeping rather than the fluid beats of their debut album, ‘Acolyte’. Likewise, the vocals stand out big and bold, where they were previously murmured into a neckerchief. And if that wasn’t enough, we have feisty lyrics about jackals, broken jaws and hell. The sound as a whole seems to have shifted from introverted electronica into a more pop-friendly avenue occupied by the likes of Yeasayer, well, just Yeasayer. It sounds like Yeasayer is what I’m saying.

So, yeah, it’s exciting and energetic and bodes well for the album. It suggests this could be Delphic’s break, where they establish themselves as synth pop stalwarts. But there is some to come yet and they need to demonstrate a bit more variety in their arsenal. And, personally, I think they should steer away from naming their songs high on acid. In space.