Album
HÆLOS
Any Random Kindness
May 10 2019 (Infectious Records)
8/10
Words: Sam Hope
With their second album, London electronic quartet HÆLOS extend their horizons out beyond the comfort zone stuck to in their first record, reaching new lyrical and musical heights and depths which overcome the “heard it all before” criticism rallied against them.
On their debut album, 'Full Circle', they showed their abilities to perfect all things trip-hop, with chopped up drums and vocals combining with soaring soundscapes to create a widespread fan favourite, following in the footsteps of the likes of Massive Attack and Portishead and faithfully holding up the Bristol scene’s sound.' Any Random Kindness', however, is defined by change, freeingly switching to live instruments to express themselves. With the band’s escape from the confines of London to write and record part of the record in a countryside studio as a sanctuary for development, they too follow the symbolic route of moving away from the digital towards the traditional.
They offer up a huge contrast to their past, basing the record on the classic sounds of pianos and guitars and the constant influence of British indie rock. This can be seen especially in the album's single cuts, with 'Kyoto' revolving around basic piano chords and live drums, and 'Buried in the Sand' being driven by an electric guitar riff, showing a new diversity.
This is especially seen in maybe the greatest height of the record, 'Deep State', which embraces alt-rock traditions amazingly given it being such new territory for the group. With a basis of just guitar and piano, gradually building with an ever-changing electronic fizzing background and climaxing with a glitchy guitar solo and desperate vocals from Arthur Delaney, this track undoubtedly has Radiohead infused in its roots.
This contrast continues with more genre changes, embracing pop structures more especially with the two other singles, 'Boy/Girl' and 'End Of World Party'. Whereas the latter relies on their strengths, clashing mellow synths with chopped drums and vocals from Lotti Bernadout to continue their trip-hop experience into pop, the former ventures into completely new ground. With the springy bass beat carrying the track forward, surrounded by choir-like vocals and pop-up glitches, the track throws expectations away, embracing features you’d more likely hear on a Billie Eilish or Lorde record.
As well as musically, this is a record that reaches new areas lyrically, with the band delving into many social and political themes. With the promotion for this album focusing on the effects of social media on everyday life, this is a theme which particularly is present in the dystopian title track, 'ARK'. An acronym of 'Any Random Kindness', newest member Daniel Vildósola explains the track lyrically represents "the climate change crisis we're dealing with - picturing a flood coming and whether an ark would be in the cards. What's gonna save us?" Set with lyrics such as “Give me shelter not your sympathy / Is this what you call humanity,” 'ARK' takes on the “thoughts and prayers” cliché replacing help in the modern age.
Although concepts of love and loss were well written on 'Full Circle', seeing the band expand their outlook to greater issues adds an important layer of depth to this new music. This album is undoubtedly a huge step for the band. They’ve moved from leaders in a niche scene to carving out an individual sound and an identity in their own right. Although the quality remains on par with 'Full Circle', 'Any Random Kindness' is diverse, contrasting and restless in a way its predecessor isn’t. Opinions may be divisive between original fans and critics, but for me this is anything but a second album slump.
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