Homework sent me a promo copy of their upcoming mini album All That Glitters dans la poste, and it’s pretty ace – easily the best thing they have produced to date.
Since I’ve reviewed both Why Oh Why and Talk Down in the past, and they’re reliably solid songs I’ll skip over those and focus on the other tracks in this post.
Surfacing is a strong opener, exhibiting the general sound of the band – not electrifying but more of an all-round entry-level track. Fireworks is an upbeat, punchy danceable track, with a sugary synth filling; a preordained precision hit that I enjoyed more than the two main singles. The same could be said for Oceans: I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I prefer the songs where Homework lean to either synth or guitar-based melodies rather than a confluence of the two.
Last but not least is the dreamy, witch-pop of Foil; its distinctive taste as a well-placed album bookend gives it a sense of mission, yet it’s the unexpected drop that appears from the haze of an instrumental synth attack that really makes it. Sure, it might be convention for bands to feature a climactic, building track that then jumps off a cliff and goes crazy at the end of their album (see Rush Of Blood To The Head, Rumours, Bon Iver for a nice wide sample, but I’m sure there are more) – but when it’s done well, it’s still brilliant.
Copies of the album will be available from the launch party on the 18th of November at Sneaky Pete’s; only 200 physical copies are being made so reserve yours now. Or whenever, I’m sure they’re easy.
