My initial response upon finishing the Dutch Uncle’s new album was ‘Woah, that was quick’. And indeed, the whole listening experience went flashing by, as the album is just over half an hour long and slightly below 40 minutes. Short were also the pause between tracks, most of the time one track just jumps straight on the other, making this album very intense and curt. The short and nearly non-existent pauses make the album extremely coherent.
It is quite amazing to realise that this is the Mancunian quintet’s third album and that they have not lost their iconic bouncy piano backbone nor their frontman Duncan’s falsetto. About mid-way through the album, Flexxin is definitely the highlight of the album. Flexxin features a gorgeous mix of strings throughout and is very catchy that I am quite sure it will be the next single off this album (plus, it links pretty well with the Fester single).
The longest track from the album lies at the very end of it, Brio has a plentiful of breaks, allowing a rich development. The ending is neat and quick, finishing the album perfectly. The musical transition of Dutch Uncles sees them from being a guitar-based rock band to a band that experiment with a wide range of instruments – violins, xylophones etc. I am already looking forward to hearing what the Duncles have in their pockets for the next album!
[Rating:4]
