Years and Years - Desire

If previous singles ‘Real’ and ‘Take Shelter’ laid claim to Years and Years’ all-eyes-on-2015 stance, this is them going in for the kill. ‘Desire’ doesn’t hold back for a single second, arriving on the eve of tours with 2014 breakthroughs Clean Bandit and Sam Smith. Make no mistake: Olly Alexander and co. will be top of the pile for next year, a surefire success barring some disaster.

‘Desire’ lacks the invention-first approach of ‘Take Shelter’. Instead, it’s an Ibiza party, end-of-summer send-off and disco triumph rolled into one. Subtlety isn’t its game, but when was that ever going to be the case for a band aiming this high. Like fellow 2015 hopeful Kwabs and his ‘Walk’ single, there’s been a careful streamlining without making too many sacrifices. Alexander remains a compelling vocalist, commanding with a voice that threatens to skew out of place at any given moment. As is the trio’s trademark, his performance is backed by in-out electronics that dictate a near balearic flow. It’s chart-bothering pop with zero qualms about where it’s heading, but it’s still definitively Years and Years.