The North London groove machine returns with the new single ‘Neighbourhood’ on September 20th. Not resting on the laurels of 2023’s critically acclaimed album ‘The Sun Also Rises’, they have spent 2024 in the studio plotting their next moves.
Image & artwork courtesy of the band.
‘TSAR’ was an array of baggy, rave, and 90s indie grooves, and those hallmarks remain intact. However, this time round, the jagged NYC funk of LCD Soundsystem and abrasive melodies of TV On The Radio filter into the guitar blasts. It’s freshened up a band already at the cutting edge of things.
The introduction of 00s influences continues with the little touches of Does it Offend Say Yeah and Sportsday Megaphone. The nu-rave touches on the synths and production add subtle depth to a marauding groove.
Lyrically, The Utopiates' debut offered couplets to engage with, but the album was ultimately about the sonic. ‘Neighbourhood, however, takes them to another level. Insightful social comment and guttural polemic unite to add another magic ingredient to the mix.
If there is a blueprint to kick off a run-up to a new album, this is surely it. The key touch points of their origins spark new avenues of creativity to produce yet another indie-dance crossover anthem.
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