I’ve been in love with London Grammar ever since their debut album ‘If You Wait’ was released in September 2013. The album is particularly special to me as it was one of the first albums I remember being excited about listening to just before I nervously entered my first year of University. The first thing that draws you into this band’s music is lead singer Hannah Reid’s pure and naturally captivating vocals. Her voice combined with the minimalist electronic rhythms and spaced out guitars provided by the other two members of the band Dominic ‘Dot’ Major and Dan Rothman is what makes this band's sound so distinct. Although after their debut album the band gathered a lot of attention and their music was met with a very good reception, ever since then London Grammar have been pretty quiet. I would hear about them now and again, travelling around the world, performing at various large venues and they also collaborated with the British electronic duo Disclosure on their first album which was released a month after their own debut. However, other than a collaboration here and a big festival appearance there, London Grammar have remained relatively quiet in the four years it has taken them to return with new material.
Many including myself have been eagerly awaiting any new material from the trio for a long time which is why it was a huge surprise when they spontaneously dropped their first new single in the early hours of the New Year. The track titled ‘Rooting For You’ was their first new original song since their debut back in 2013 and listening to it for the first time made me remember exactly why I love their style of music. The song stays true to London Grammar’s now well established style, it is an electronic tinged melancholic track that like most London Grammar songs puts Hannah’s beautiful voice and pure tones into the spotlight. Reid’s sparse, ghostly vocals lead the song and are soon backed up with a symphony of string instruments that allow the song to build into an almost cinematic feeling record. Their second new release is titled ‘Big Picture’ and again really shows us how much the band have perfected their sound over the last four years. While their first comeback single ‘Rooting For You’ was an extremely gentle and emotive symphonic record that showcased Reid’s fragile vocals, their second new single ‘Big Picture’ sees a change of tone for the band. Yet this new single still inevitably contains all the key ingredients that make London Grammar’s music so special.
With Reid's pure vocals combined with spectral and purposeful guitar rhythms, the track gradually works itself up from a sombre and slow paced song to a bright and euphoric piece of music. The track slowly evolves into an optimistic and instrumentally driven record with a rousing upbeat rhythm. The record somehow manages to show off Reid’s vocals while at the same time creating a soft and calming electronically layered rhythm underneath that features looped reverberating vocals from Hannah. With this record and the aforementioned first comeback single ‘Rooting For You’, it’s clear that the long time away spent writing and recording was most definitely worth it. If anything, these new tracks from London Grammar perfectly show how comfortable the band have become in their musical direction and this new material signals exciting new things to come from the trio.
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