W. H. Lung

★★★★ Vanities MELODIC. CD/DL/LP

Artful, invigorating take on what helped to pack ’90s dancefloors. Vanities ends with Kaya, a rave-pop mover pitched between the Section 25 of From The Hip and the dancefloor insistence of Andrew Weatherall at his most anthemic. On the way to this ecstatic climax, the second album from Manchester’s W.H. Lung gradually moves away from the motorik-infused doggedness perfected on 2019’s Incidental Music to a less impressionistic music; one aimed at the feet. Early on, Calm Down and Pearl In The Palm nod to their debut but by the album’s midpoint it’s clear a decision has been made to not repeat what came before. But this more direct W. H. Lung is still about righteous testimony. “It’s only holy when we’re together” proclaims frontman Joe Evans on ARPi. Showstopper conjures up the “god of dried apricots”. Vanities artily refines an exhilarating brand of up-front electro-dance.

Kieron Tyler