Courtesy of the lovely people at the Guardian, we're now all able to
listen to a stream of Erasure's new album in its entirety! First impressions? It's really very good.
When I heard debut single
When I Start To Break It All Down, I was skeptical. It seemed overly bouncy, lacking in the complexity and skill that normally makes Erasure singles such a joy to listen to. It felt cheery and happy, sure, but that classic Erasure dynamism and spark didn't seem quite there.
My fears were allayed immediately on listening to the first few tracks of
Tomorrow's World though. Indeed,
When I Start seems to stand on it's own, half-way through the album. The other tracks feel far more like what you might expect Erasure would be making at this point in their career - it's brilliantly crafted synth-pop of the highest order.
In many ways, it's a real natural progression from their previous album, Light At The End Of The World, but with a more clinical, precise sheen - that's down to Frankmusik's involvement as producer.
His influence on the album comes to a peak in the sublime
A Whole Lotta Love Run Riot - it's the duo's most fanatically up-tempo disco number in ages. Pairing Erasure's experience and passion with Frankmusik's modern sensibilities meets its perfect match here, and what's more, there are a good deal more tracks in this vein on the album too -
Then I Go Twisting is another standout.
When it comes to making great pop music, Erasure have rarely disappointed, and
Tomorrow's World undoubtedly stands as another accomplished effort in their immense back catalogue. Sonically, it's got everything you'd want from an Erasure album, but most crucially, it has that new edge - the new body-work trim on a flash sportscar - that keeps things interesting.
Tomorrow's World is released on the 3rd October and can be
pre-ordered here.
Listen to the album stream
HERE.
