Album Review: London Grammar – If You Wait

For a long time, London Grammar have remained fairly unknown, producing track after track elusively, using the Internet as a tool to initially disguise the faces behind the name. But when tracks such as ‘Wasting My Young Years’ emerged, the band had no choice but to appear from the anonymous confines of the web and proudly claim the tracks as their own.

Their debut album ‘If You Wait’ reflects the trio’s mysterious nature with tracks that begin in one direction and take on a completely different personality by the end. ‘Stay Awake’ is a perfect example of this, whereby instrumentation is gradually added to create depth and when it truly kicks in – albeit quite near the end – the true nature of the track is exposed.

The album is carefully modest, with the sense that the band are still growing and developing. Although confidence exudes each designed sound, the band don’t seem as though they are shouting about it from the rooftops just yet, which is exactly what makes London Grammar so worth your time.

They allow the listener to spend time understanding the music and lyrics, but not forcing them to get it. Hannah Reid’s poignant vocals aren’t stuffed with vocal techniques that draw away from the message; even though there is no doubt she’s capable of doing just that.

‘Metal and Dust’ is perhaps one of the most upbeat songs on the album, although not in terms of theme, which is the one downfall of the LP. The songs, although chilling and spectacular, could benefit from some variation as each track delivers the same melancholic tone.

A brilliant debut album that explores a pick ‘n’ mix of genres, incorporating Soul, Dubstep, Chill-Wave and Pop into one sound, giving listeners that edgy mystique we’ve come to expect and love from London Grammar.