AthleteBeyond The NeighbourhoodReview

Athlete are back with their follow-up to 2005’s Tourist, but in a slightly different mood. Beyond The Neighbourhood is more reflective, more experimental and more interesting than its predecessor.

Remember the band that used to get cheers for Theremin solos during their live shows? This sounds more like them. Electronic bleeps, loops and beats are fully embraced, but the guitars are still there, and more of them than before too.

Self-produced, and recorded in their own studio to boot, this is a much more organic, relaxed sound, as if the band took the time to create something distinctly “Athlete-y”.

Lead single “Hurricane” is the most mainstream chart-ready song here, but it drags, and doesn’t feel inspirational or uplifting, despite its positive message that we can do something about the ‘things’ happening around us.

Luckily, “Airport Disco” is brilliantly different, building up from a looped electronic hook to a guitar heavy chorus, bizarrely all set to lyrics about using airports for nightclubs as flying is banned. But what else would you expect, seeing as previous albums have included songs about the site of a nuclear power station?

“It’s Not Your Fault”, has a guitar line more akin to Editors, and builds to a refrain that you can already hear a crowd bellowing back at singer Joel Pott in his trademark clipped style.

“The Outsiders” has a dreamy, slightly mournful, sound, making the line ‘I’m away with the fairies now’, sound more beautiful than you ever imagined, before morphing into a combination of piano and odd organic beats. Strange, but good, as the saying goes. “Flying Over Bus Stops” has an even more otherworldly feel to it, a beguilingly beautiful song that draws you in.

Finally, “Best Not To Think About It”, revisits September 11th in a haunting way; one of the few songs dealing with that subject that manages to avoid saccharine sentimentality.

Athlete have moved on. They have created a fuller, richer, more experimental album, but kept hold of their distinctive sound too. It will grab you right from the start.