The so-called wildly exaggerated curse of the Mercury Prize is one thing: London Grammar’s debut, however, fell victim to not making the short list, despite being touted as the bookie’s favourite long before the nominees were announced.
Well, betting truly is for mugs, so let’s stick to the tunes. London Grammar do ethereal lovelorn soul-searching better than most. The Mercury hoopla won’t have done them one bit of harm, especially considering the fact that If You Want has just entered the UK charts at No. 2.
Initially, head girl Hannah Reid is reminiscent of a slowed-down late-night version of Florence Welch. However, repeated listens reveal her to be a singular singer who has authored a fine debut.
If You Wait predominantly concerns itself with the swings and roundabouts of Reid’s love life, leading one pundit to declare this to be “the first quarter-life crisis album.” While that sounds well and good as a catchy sound bite, when you think about it, the majority of most first and second albums deal with such troubled affairs of the heart and how the enthusiasm of youth gets severely tested when life bites.
‘Wasting My Young Years’ dissects a frustrating relationship, but Reid should find solace in the fact the relationship wasn’t a waste of time if it inspired this beautiful post-mortem. If You Wait is a dead cert to be flying high in the end of year polls that are just around the corner.

Key Track: 'Metal And Dust'