BASEMENT

Promise Everything

Since their return from hiatus in 2014, Basement have made steady songwriting progress. Colourmeinkindness found the band softening their sound with grungier influences after the hard-edged I Wish I Could Stay Here, and on Promise Everything, the Ipswich, UK quintet demonstrate a knack for melody throughout. Andrew Fisher’s vocals play a significant role in this shift, as he abandons his scratchy yell almost entirely — save for the title track, the album’s only outright aggressive song — and embraces a cleaner style that finds his voice soaring. The hooks are even stickier and more sure-footed here, with songs like “Aquasun” borrowing heavily in tone and texture from ’90s radio rock acts like Jimmy Eat World. Basement have taken great care to capitalize on their most effective aspects to make a dynamic and cohesive whole. (Run For Cover, runforcoverrecords.limitedrun.com) BRANAN RANJANATHAN