What Occurs, the forthcoming album Islands, represents something of a sea change for the outfit. “Replacing the band’s signature style of meticulously layered indie pop with something more raw and natural,” we wrote in a preview of lead single ‘Drown a Fish’, “the record promises to emphasise the spontaneous energy of a band still finding fresh and quirky angles from which to explore pop music.” The first track showed just what this switch entails. A playful power pop jam recorded live in one take which wore this immediacy as a real strength, possessing that intangible vitality impossible to recreate with a more measured approach.
The fact latest single ‘The End’ continues this vibe is all the more impressive considering its subject matter. The album’s closer, the track takes its role as a conclusion literally, assessing the view from the precise moment it becomes clear these lives of ours will not last for ever. “We’ve reached the last stop on the station, and it’s time to disembark into the void,” as lead Nick Thorburn explains:
With this song, I wanted to look back on the hinge point in our lives when we begin to realize that our existence will not be forever. And when we reach the end, how will we reflect on the life we led? Are we satisfied with the choices we made? Did we have a positive impact on the world or did we do more harm than good?
But true to form, Islands leaven such contemplations with the wry humour and inventiveness that has marked Thorburn’s output since his days as part of The Unicorns. Heartbreak and whimsy might not be the most obvious of bedfellows, but here they feel like two sides of the same coin, right down to the video directed By Justin Hantz.
What Occurs comes out on 21st June and is available to pre-order from the Islands Bandcamp page.
