SOUND JUDGEMENT

The latest album releases reviewed

LIFE IS YOURS FOALS HHHII

Foals prove why they have ascended so smoothly to the top of the indie game. This funk-infused effort opens with the title track delivering the positive message “Life is yours, break away”, while lead single Wake Me Up does exactly what it says on the tin, with its thundering melody. 2am is darker lyrically, its focus on social anxiety among millennials and hooky chorus has earned it welldeserved airplay on Radio 1.

The second half of the album is a different beast. Despite lacking variety, each of its tracks remains epic in scope.

Ultimately, Foals demonstrate how the departure of two members hasn’t hindered them and proves they are still leaders in the modern indie scene.

MY OTHER PEOPLE TV PRIEST HHHII

The second album from London rockers TV Priest, sees a distinctive sound shining through with tracks such as Bury Me In My Shoes and The Breakers.

Unfairly lumped in with the post-punk revival, frontman Charlie Drinkwater and co stretch out on funky opener One Easy Things and the low-slung I Am Safe Here. Drinkwater’s half-spoken, halfsung vocals still hit home nicely but his lyrics this time veer towards the inwardlooking.

My Other People is a leap forward for TV Priest, a vulnerable record that connects on a new level.

UGLY SEASON PERFUME GENIUS HHHHI

Ugly Season fuses cinematic and classical influences with bursts of beauty and melody, and is largely instrumental.

The opening track, Just A Room, is probably the most experimental. The otherworldly Herem sees Hadreas singing in a high register, the words opaque even for Perfume Genius, but then there are more discernible songs. Those yet to discover Perfume Genius should perhaps not start here, but fans will find much to admire in this vision.