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Delays – Star Tiger, Star Ariel

Delays, Star Tiger, Star Ariel

Review by Jack Foley

IndieLondon Rating: 4 out of 5

A NEW album from Delays is always worth getting excited about… and so it is that the band’s fourth studio album Star Tiger, Star Ariel proves itself to be well worth the wait.

Described by lead singer Greg Gilbert as their most personal record yet, it’s arguably one of their more mature and expansive. Songs embody an epic structure that belies the intimacy of the songwriting, while there’s a grander sense of occasion.

The joyride pop singles are fewer and further in between, replaced instead by a more steady, more careful approach. This is never more apparent than during the opening track, Find A Home, which unfolds with admirable, even beautiful restraint, thanks to a hush-hush vocal and some sparkling pianos. It’s probably the most ethereal track Delays have ever delivered.

The guitars get cranked up for the follow-up, The Lost Estate, which adopts a meatier sound as well as a delicious chorus that really comes alive, combining some great bass and synth flourishes into the mix.

Gilbert’s evocative, distinct falsetto vocal style flits between being fragile and almost heartbroken to gutsy and full of life, according to the needs of the sun. It’s arguably his most expressive offering.

On Shanghaied, for example, he really lets rip with a belting, almost punky (by his standards) set of vocals that are augmented by the punchy guitar licks, while he finds an epic sprawl on the highlight track, Rhapsody… a slow-builder of immense quality.

Further highlights come in the form of Unsung, which weaves more lush piano chords around some gutsy hooks, the shimmering ode to summer that is In Brilliant Sunshine, the tender Moment Gone, and the anthemic album finale Star Tiger, Star Ariel, which weaves a gutsy, thrilling guitar riff around some synth-string flourishes to end things with a bit of a headrush.

But in truth, this is a great all-round listen that serves as a potent reminder of Delays often overlooked quality as one of the UK’s most consistently engaging bands.

As Greg adds on the album: “The first album sounded like the sun, the second album like a club, Everything’s The Rush was a festival, but this album sounds like roots beneath the city shaking the buildings at night.

“This record is about being lost, and the dream of being found. It’s our most personal record and, more than anything, is a soundscape for our home.”

Nicely put… and even more effectively delivered.

Download picks: Rhapsody, Find A Home, Unsung, In Brilliant Sunshine, Star Tiger, Star Ariel

Track listing:

  1. Find A Home (New Forest Shaker)
  2. The Lost Estate
  3. Shanghaied
  4. Rhapsody
  5. May ‘45
  6. Hold Fire
  7. Unsung
  8. In Brilliant Sunshine
  9. Moment Gone
  10. Lakes Can Be Lethal
  11. Star Tiger, Star Ariel

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