New Years & Years Album Out, We Take a First Listen

Continuing their signature sound of fusing psychedelic pop with soft harmonies, the album drags listeners by the elbow through a deliberately unstructured narrative, where any moment you could be confronted with an ex-lover or a summer romance. On that note, early track ‘All For You’ is a euphoric pop ballad about the feeling of relief over leaving a toxic lover, while ‘Karma’ is seductive and raw, navigating the gameplay that happens within a budding romance.

Years & Years are no strangers to religious references in their music and continue this theme for Album No.2. Their first album title was Communion , while this one takes its name from the Spanish word for Holy Wood. Several of the album’s song titles also bear religious iconography. Album opener ‘Sanctify’ speaks about being a sinner and a saint in the art of seduction, recounting feelings of guilt in taking part in the act of lovemaking, before quickly tossing those feelings out the window and launching into a detailed account of lovemaking.

‘Hallelujah’ picks up the pace from ‘Sanctify’ with a heavily synthesised club beat. It explores the feeling of glory and exhilaration of being close to someone.

Years & Years unique blend of tropical sounds over sweet harmonies will continue to please the band’s original fanbase, while Olly Alexander’s unapologetic and candid lyrics about falling in love – and explicitly stating that the love is male – assures his status as a modern queer icon.

8.5/10