Settle

I remember playing Disclosure’s ‘Latch’ on my radio show in Nashville. It was something completely different, with Sam Smith’s haunting vocals, the electronic sounds that were expertly blended to match the emotions of the song, and the outstanding production. I was blown away; hooked on the song for weeks. I only hoped that the band’s debut album Settle would be half as good and would move me in a similar way.

Well, it’s been over a month since its release and I’ve hardly stopped listening. An electronic album is surprisingly difficult to get right; you can easily get stuck in one sound or beat and let it take over the album. This is not the case on Settle, as we are faced with several different tempos, bass beats and effects to hold our interest, and then some.

Each song has its own identity and emotion; ‘F For You’ is a hypnotic number that questions commitment and obsession; ‘You & Me’ is given a sunny charm by the delightful Eliza Doolittle; ‘Confess to Me’ features Jessie Ware and has a touch of Skrillex about it, adding a touch of enticement and seduction. Speaking of seduction, ‘What’s In Your Head’ is practically an orgasm set to electronic music – good luck emerging from this song alive.

The album takes a rest with ‘Help Me Lose My Mind’ featuring London Grammar, which eases us into a slow beautiful trance that continues with ‘Boiling’, a lovely if slightly unsettling number. Other than these slower tracks, Settle takes us on an electronic power run while somehow keeping it varied enough that the hour just flies by.

Far from being “just noise…white noise”, this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of tunes that is bound to get you up and dancing – or at the very least tapping your feet. Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence have made electronica more accessible than hardliners Zedd or Skrillex, bringing in a range of notes and beats that get under your skin and don’t leave for a while – in my case, over a month. Funk, pop, groove, electro, dubstep and slow ballads all feature in this hour-long delight; so if you haven’t already, get some Disclosure into your chilled-out summer playlist.

Similar To: SBTRKT, Duke Dumont, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

MP3: ‘Latch’, ‘Confess To Me’, ‘When A Fire Starts To Burn’