Mystery Jets – ‘Curve of the Earth’

Sedated, pacified and generally underwhelming, the new album from the London four piece leaves a lot to be desired.

As a long-time fan of Mystery Jets, 15 January marked an important day on my calendar, with the release of their fifth studio album, Curve of the Earth. However, I waited four years for this release and was left wanting more. It was their 2010 release Serotonin which marked a shift from confused sentiments to strong basslines, from tame melodies to songs full of character. Yet, somehow, Curve of the Earth seems to sit in the middle.

This new release is focused on the individual and, to an extent, the rejection of love

Conceptually, the album is well-rounded and unique, as they abandon the Americana vibes of 2012’s Radlands and adopt a new, somewhat scientific concept. While Radlands was very much focused on love and relationships, this new release is focused on the individual and, to an extent, the rejection of love: ‘Bombay Blue’ tells us that “love becomes the enemy”.

The opening, and probably most well-received, track, ‘Telomere’, constantly repeats the line: “the one thing they can’t take away”. In scientific terminology the telomere is attached to the end of the chromosome to stop deterioration, but here it becomes a question of identity. My personal favourite, ‘Bubblegum’, fleshes out these issues, as frontman Blaine mourns a past self and all with an odd combination of upbeat synths and guitar.

With the occasional synth here and movie dialogue there (‘Midnight’s Mirror’), the winning quality of this album has to be based solely on its thematic value.

However, the album takes a winding down on ‘1985’, with the slow tempo and raw emotion in Blaine’s voice as he yearns for the past. The last and aptly named track, ‘The End Up’, is a stripped down Mystery Jets, and finally reaches a level of content as Blaine acceptingly admits that “the one that you love might not be the one that you were thinking of”.

Sonically this album offers nothing new. With the occasional synth here and movie dialogue there (‘Midnight’s Mirror’), the winning quality of this album has to be based solely on its thematic value. When listening to the album in its entirety, rather than gaining a sense of satisfaction, I was left wanting more. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s not a sign of a good album.