Inhaler - Open Wide

Polydor

From the get-go, Inhaler have revelled in euphoria - their earlier offerings lent themselves perfectly to the kind of release best found in sweaty crowd sing-alongs, and their particular brand of indie rock was constantly chasing that high. Returning for their third album, ‘Open Wide’, they’re shifting into a different hue of that energy - there’s a vibrancy and joyfulness that is unlike anything Inhaler have tried before, and the newfound colour suits them.

With a newfound optimistic streak running through ‘Open Wide’, tracks like ‘Billy (yeah yeah yeah)' see them bringing in sun-soaked guitars and a seventies groove that feels thrillingly refreshing for the band. More vulnerable than before, but infinitely more hopeful, the songs - as the album title might suggest - are far more expansive and willing to delve into new waters and spend time just exploring them. From the choir that elevates ‘Your House’ to the brightly anticipatory guitar of ‘Again’, the tracks capture the kind of warmth that many of their listeners will have been craving in the thick of the winter months.

‘The Charms’ is a moment of romanticism, led by shimmering guitars and vocals that verge on yearning. The album’s final track, ‘Little Things’, bottles that feeling that has lingered throughout and mixes it with a guitar line that feels like classic Inhaler - it’s the sum of all that has come before, gleeful and authentic at once. If the album desperately chases that release, it is ‘Little Things’ that finally allows for it.

It’s still Inhaler, of course, but it’s Inhaler in technicolour. With ‘Open Wide’, they’ve landed on a sound that it feels like they’ve reached towards for some time - at last, they’re able to settle in and bask in the glow of this previously unexplored side of themselves.