Flyte - Between You And Me

On their new album, Flyte are wiping the slate clean and starting anew. 'Between You and Me' sees Will Taylor and Nick Hill focusing on the simplest of things. What happens if you just write about what you know - no sugarcoating, just a focus on those experiences and the feelings they brought with them? The answer is the most impactive album the duo have made to date.

The human experience is complex and confusing, and every track here reckons with a different aspect of it. 'Hurt People' is a celebration of group healing, crafting images of a 12-step recovery programme characterised by expansive guitar, mirroring the large spaces these kinds of meetings are usually held in. 'Emily and Me' takes listeners on a nostalgia-tinged tour around Los Angeles before the album dips into more emotional territory.

Taylor’s writing has always had the power to emotionally wind you when you least expect it. Perhaps, if you weren’t listening closely enough, you might assume from the melody that 'I’m So Down' is happier than its reality as an anthem for the people-pleasers out there. 'I’m holding on to anger' is the declaration made on the album’s most devastating track, 'I’m Not There', which follows someone struggling to stay present in a relationship.

Love leaves its mark across the album, too. 'Hello Sunshine' captures the beauty of romantic longing, while there’s an element of childlike giddiness that sprouts from 'If You Can’t Be Happy', which acts as a gorgeous ode to a partner who can’t see their own value - even when everyone else thinks the world of them. It’s the kind of song that, deep down, everybody wishes someone had written about them.

'Between You and Me' takes its listeners through the motions, but it never once feels over the top. The duo might’ve taken a different approach to making this record, but it’s the one that sums them up best.