Alvvays - Antisocialites

Rating:

Bold, brave and feeling like an old favourite from the very first play.

Returning refined, retooled and crisper than ever before - Alvvays’ second LP ‘Antisocialites’ is one of those records where a band who shimmered and dazzled into first light blossom into the force they’re primed to stand as for years to come. Their self-titled debut album was a gorgeous invitation into the slack-chimed dreams of Alvvays, a dream that’s built upon and formed across ‘Antisocialities’ in crystallised-ease, always jumping from one idea to another but held together by an untouchable glue. Snappy and lush, it’s everything Alvvays have been teasing since the very beginning.

It’s easy to lay it down to simply a great band being, well, a great band - but the distinctive corners and edges that make up ‘Antisocialites’ are stunning in each and every way. From the doo-wop submerging of ‘Not My Baby’ that strips heartache to its rawest, the snappy licks and hooks that make up ‘Saved By A Waif’ and ‘Plimsoll Punks’ or the scouring arena-sized drive of lead single ‘In Undertow’ - this is a record that oozes freedom and adventure from every note. Fusing out anything still stirring in your mind, Alvvays push harder than ever before. ‘Lollipop (Ode To Jim)’ is sure to ring out in a frenzy come those landmark headline shows - and it’s in the look to the future where this record shines. It’s a melting pot of influences and bygone moments, drenched in nostalgia but confident enough to step away from it.

‘Antisocialites’ confirms Alvvays as a band with the world squarely at their feet. Bold, brave and feeling like an old favourite from the very first play - Alvvays are slipping into the sort of territory that’ll have us doe-eyed for years to come. Jamie Muir