Album Review: Night Call by Years & Years

Pop can be cruel sometimes: Years & Years' Olly Alexander is still one of the most recognisable figures in the British scene, especially after his lead role in Channel 4 drama It's A Sin and fronting BBC1's New Year celebrations, but his last Top 5 hit was in 2015 and his newest record looks like it will come and go without any serious chart impact. Night Call is the first record since the trio became a solo project, but continuity is provided through producer Mark Ralph. The music is fun and easygoing, whether it's the title track's blissful ’80s-style chords, or Make It Out Alive's sparkling synth line, or the dizzying strings of Sweet Talker (a far better Galantis collaboration than Heartbreak Anthem with Little Mix).

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Audibly influenced by the '80s pop soundtrack that had been filling his head around the making of It's A Sin, however, musically the album is always taking your hand to the dancefloor rather than leading you straight down to the dungeon. Lead single 'Starstruck' was such an irrepressible pop gem that Kylie Minogue hopped on for a remix, while opener 'Consequences' sounds like if Michael Jackson was a regular at G-A-Y. Throughout, keys shimmer, the production is bright and sky-facing, with an emphasis on synthetic beats.

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2018's 'Palo Santo' saw Years & Years at their most complex. Lyrically, it's intricate tales of dystopian science fiction were merged with frank and honest discussions of sexuality, set against a broad, interweaving digi-pop palette. Since then, the project has been trimmed down - it's now an Olly Alexander solo venture - and 'Night Call' reflects this impetus towards immediacy.

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