A FLOODED studio, a lost back catalogue, and a lead singer whose struggle with depression is both stark and well-documented should not have paved the way for an album like this.
The first two offerings from Leeds psych-rockers Hookworm brimmed with energy and promise, but you’d have been hard-pushed to describe them as accessible or optimistic.
Microshift, an early contender for annual Best Of lists, is both and more. In the four years since its predecessor, The Hum, Hookworms have entered a different sonic stratosphere, their frontman Matthew ‘MJ’ Johnson has committed himself to taking a more upstage role that illustrates just how good his voice really is, and – without compromising their love of krautrock and Spacemen 3 – they’re coming up with fantastic songs.
The LCD Soundsystem-esque Negative Space, Static Resistance, and Ullswater (which is so good that even a juddering time signature can’t derail it) reveal a band that can now do epic as well as introspection, while The Soft Season and Each Time We Pass demonstrates their ability to do ethereal.
Crisp, swirling, unfettered, drenched in atmospherics, and both uncompromising and uplifting, Microshift represents a massive shift for a band who are unquestionably on the rise.
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