THE new album by Yorkshire five-piece Embrace both embraces – pun absolutely intended – their former life as chiefs of the indie-anthem, while acting the magpie to borrow style and material that has proven popular in the years since their last album.
From the ominous opening chords of Protection, it’s easy to expect something in the style of Depeche Mode, and the late-Eighties theme gets stronger as the slightly industrial, bass-driven chorus kicks in with more than a feel of New Order.
In The End also echoes New Order, almost painfully so, but that’s never a bad thing, with echoes of Coldplay too.
The big single is Follow You Home, and it stands out as the most similar to Embrace’s earlier successes, All You Good Good People or Come Back To What You Know, but also as one of the most refreshing tracks.
That makes it all the stranger when Quarters follows, with a Lady Gaga dance synth, U2 harmonic guitar and Scissor Sister trill vocals. It shouldn’t work, but it does, making Embrace a welcome mix of old and new.
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