4 / 10
Client’s cold synths could dupe you into believing they hatched in a Thatcher-era north (rather than London), so convincingly do parts of their third LP evoke the bleakness of ’80s post-punk (‘Heartland’, ‘Someone To Hurt’). However the languid tones which forged an icy chemistry with Carl Barât on 2005’s single ‘Pornography’ have descended into monotony, despite Simon Tong appearing on four tracks and a cameo from Tim Burgess. Only one track, ‘Lights Go Out’, conjures any life from the static trio. Instead, ‘Heartland’’s problem is that its potential is never really realised, leaving every track screaming for a remix, and the listener urging them to rip it up and start again.
Laura Snapes
DOWNLOAD IF YOU MUST: ‘Lights Go Out’
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