Lucia & the Best Boys - The State Of Things EP

Every release from Glasgow flag-bearers Lucia & the Best Boys has been a stride upwards and outwards from their beginnings as the hazy indie solo project of Lucia Fairfull.

With a mix of releases, the outfit have explored a number of sonic avenues, most recently prickly glam-pop on the ‘Eternity’ EP, while a revolving door of personnel has affirmed the constant freshness. ‘The State of Things’ finds the trio (Ali Scott and Chris Ballantyne are the current Best Boys on drums and bass) indulging in a sinuous gothic slowness in line with The Cure or Depeche Mode.

‘Forever Forget’ is the best example of this, Fairfull’s sharp vocal intertwining with churned up bass as she muses on the bittersweetness of moving on from a difficult period, a theme echoed on ‘Let Go’, albeit more calmly - it’s the softest track to come from the group to date, but its vulnerability is warmly welcomed. Overshadowing the gloom with its mighty pop sheen, ‘Perfectly Untrue’ is a fantastic pop number that judders with a desire to escape the tendrils of heartbreak. Looping drums lay foundation for a solid groove and a chorus that lingers like smoke, the EP’s highlight and one of the band’s best tracks overall by a mile.

‘The State of Things’ fits the trend of consistent excellence that Lucia and her best boys have been plotting the last three years. There’s no reason their next move shouldn’t be an equally cracking debut album.