The Crimea

To give the whole of your album away as a free download is risky. But that’s what these former Britrock high hopes have done for their second album. Is this a bold statement of confidence and victory for rock democracy, or just a desperate attempt to draw attention to a pish record (it is getting a physical release as well)? With husky, soulful vocals and a mixture of lazy, hazy-day summer songs, bursts of heartstring-yanking nostalgia and slow, bittersweet melodies, the answer, surprisingly, is closer to the former. Although slightly ruined by the frequent and unnecessary Americanised monologues, the record’s Technicolor fusion of dark, sombre tunes and vibrant, upbeat tracks proudly pushes aside any doubts. Go on, download it. After all, it’s free.

Jess Colman