Clean Bandit - New Eyes

They say that “scenes” don’t exist anymore. In this iPhone-fuelled, playlist age, no-one gives a shit about being “punk”, “indie” or whatever because basically, anything goes. No group embodies this current era of sonic liberation better than Cambridge quartet Clean Bandit: their debut splices Dvorak together with dance music, rap with Ravel and Mozart with moody electro. And yet it is all Pop.
Does their unabashed straddling of genres yield impressive results on their debut New Eyes? Well, not always. For all of its ballsy, scene-snobs-be-damned bravado, in parts, the record is a messy hybrid with lots of stops, starts and diversions that are not always seamlessly put together. Their surreal videos are brilliantly effective and often witty, giving a context to the music. But stripped of the visuals, the songs become less winning. To these ears, opener ‘Mozart’s House’ is too disjointed; the ragga-informed ‘A&E’ feels out of place; and the raps about Chinos and cappucinos on ‘Telephone Banking’ are, well, not exactly my cup of tea.
On the other hand, the cello-led ‘Extraordinary’, which features vocals from Sharna Bass (the record is littered with guest appearances), is a powerfully convincing soul-pop tune. And there’s no ignoring the charms of their superb smash hit ‘Rather Be’ (featuring Jess Glynne): a No.1 in the UK and Ireland, the video has been viewed a staggering 61 million times. So it’s a mixed bag that could prove to be a grower...

Out Now.