Everything Everything - Get To Heaven (Album Review)
Friday, 26 June 2015
Written by Huw Baines
Photo: Tom Johnson
There are a couple of things going on here. Superficially, ‘Get To Heaven’ is Everything Everything gone pop. It’s not that they’ve shied away from it in the past, rather that they have now fully embraced its ebullient spirit and run with it. A quick scratch beneath the surface, though, reveals a nightmarish vision of our turbulent present and warnings of lessons unheeded from our violent past.
Its surprising, thrilling melodies are at odds with Jonathan Higgs’ mélange of surrealist imagery. There are many joyous hooks, almost all of which lead the listener onto shaky ground. It’s pop as a vessel for soul searching and an examination of terror, religious power, racism and our ability to bury our collective head in the sand.
On the title track, a whistling section and undeniably summer-ready chorus are utilised to illustrate a man’s self-immolation “under a blood black sky”. Fortune 500 is almost delicate despite the thud of its beat, with Higgs’ words building not to the explosion, but the crushing moment of doubt after the pin is pulled. Distant Past, the lead single, is eminently danceable and would have fitted in on ‘Arc’. It’s about our animal capacity for violence in an increasingly complicated world.
In Regret, Spring/Sun/Winter/Dread and the opening song, To The Blade, meanwhile, Everything Everything have put out three of the finest songs of the year, each of them beautifully constructed and delivered with a knowing swagger despite the insecurities that drive them. Such a balancing act would appear impossible to maintain, but they manage the feat with something to spare.
‘Get To Heaven’ is Everything Everything’s most ambitious album to date and, to their credit, also their most comprehensive. It will challenge, provoke, entertain and depress in equal measure.
Everything Everything Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Sat November 07 2015 - CARDIFF Cardiff University Students Union
Sun November 08 2015 - BEXHILL ON SEA De La Warr Pavilion
Mon November 09 2015 - PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth Pyramids
Wed November 11 2015 - NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Thu November 12 2015 - GLASGOW O2 ABC
Fri November 13 2015 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE O2 Academy Newcastle
Sat November 14 2015 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy Birmingham
Mon November 16 2015 - SHEFFIELD Leadmill
Tue November 17 2015 - CAMBRIDGE Junction
Wed November 18 2015 - BRISTOL O2 Academy Bristol
Fri November 20 2015 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Sat November 21 2015 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Click here to compare & buy Everything Everything Tickets at Stereoboard.com.
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
