The Beat Surrender

It doesn’t happen often, but every now and again a band comes along that just absolutely blows your mind to pieces. A Place To Bury Strangers are that band and they have now delivered their seecond stunning album in just over a year.

Blasting the myth harder and bigger than they did my ear drums at their Leeds gig earlier in the year, this is a second album that doesn’t seem to have been difficult for them and more importantly doesn’t buckle under the weight of a stunning debut like other bands have in the same position.

Instead Exploding Head soars to new levels of sonic majesty, mixing My Bloody Valentine walls of noise with a crushing intensity on tracks like Deadbeat and Ego Death, while a track like Keep Slipping Away takes you by surprise when they change direction midway through and turn it into a melody filled slower effort.

Lost Feeling has a huge sound to it, particularly in the breakdown, you can really imagine this song played live, likewise the blistering Smile When You Smile or the epic five and a half minute brilliance of closer I Lived My Life To Stand In the Shadow Of Your Heart.

A band that can do no wrong at the moment and seem to be getting frighteningly stronger with each relief, as an album it’really isn’t far off perfect.

The album is out now through Mute.