Paradise

Artist: Slow Club
Label: Moshi Moshi
Website: slowclubband.com

The best thing about a young band is that there is always tons of potential for growth. That is exactly what has happened to the UK duo Slow Club, as Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson come back with their sophomore album Paradise with an intensely new focused direction.

Their debut, Yeah So, was catchy in its own sense with its upbeat nature but the group really tones down their giddiness here and takes a much more controlled and centralized approach both lyrically and musically on Paradise.

This style change starts right away on opening track "Two Cousins" that lets Taylor's voice hit hard and shine using all of her powerful upper range. The focus on Taylor's vocals continues throughout Paradise, as where Watson shared more vocal duties on Yeah So, here he keeps most of his focus on guitar and harmonies.

This change automatically creates a different record and a different band vibe for Slow Club. It is a move that should pay future dividends because Taylor has a star quality to her vocal that flourishes here as the group also tackles much tougher material lyrically.

Fans of Yeah So will still recognize the band on Paradise but I think their evolvement is a positive fork in the road that should create more opportunities for Slow Club moving forward and I can't wait to see what they do next.

Christopher Anthony

For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews, check out The Fire Note