Return To The Ugly Side Of Love

Bristol duo Malachai have turned the amps from 11 to eight on their sequel to last year’s Ugly Side Of Love. It’s still a joyous mess in many respects, with precision mixing foregone in the search for ‘feel’. On this outing, however, they seem to be a little bit more interested in melody and the vocals are gentler and more audible, bolstered effectively by harmonies and effects. So while cymbals still crash, synths still buzz and sustain and echo, pianos still pound and guitars still crunch and clang, it all feels a little bit more psychedelically reflective than its straight-ahead predecessor – but no less impressive for that.