L
ondon five-piece Zulu Winter’s debut album, Language, is a carefully crafted record, combining intricate percussive beats, polished vocals and dreamy layered riffs resulting in what will surely feature in numerous summer playlists.
Certain tracks do feel like they are merely padding it out in order to create something coherent, making the stand-out tracks very obvious. ‘Moment’s Drift’ and ‘People That You Must Remember,’ for example, are effortlessly skippable. However, ‘Silver Tongue’’s infectious chorus gives the impression of a band practised in writing crowd pleasers, while the disjointed, experimental and almost funk-based rhythms of ‘Let’s Move Back To Front’ show a band unafraid of showing off their evident musical abilities.
Zulu have shown a distinct antagonism to the musical hype machine, which can only be a promising thing. The hype was perhaps inevitable; new bands such as Django Django, and the ever-elusive Wu Lyf demonstrate a demand for disjointed, psychedelic art-rock.
On top of the art-school feel of the record is a universal quality, setting themselves apart from new bands of the same ilk.
Lead singer Will Daunt’s vocals are remarkably similar to those of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. Although this may be a turn-off for hipsters and Coldplay-phobes alike, Daunt’s voice gives the album an approachable softness, and the band succeed in creating tracks just on the cusp of being anthemic, without tipping over into cheesiness.
Although Language may lack the endearingly haphazard and naive elements often found in debut albums, it demonstrates a band destined for recognition.
Their choice of an April release is particularly apt, as the need for new summer tracks becomes more evident. Far from perfect, but an album that deserves to be listened to.