CHILDHOOD - Universal High

A few distant memories, a landscape both precise and abstract, a soul pulse in the night: this is what "Universal High" evokes, the second, surprising work from Childhood. Three years on from "Lacuna", a small indie-pop/madchester gem, the Nottingham quartet rises again thanks to a sudden change of direction, bringing a breath of fresh air to their original sound.

Recorded at Maze Studios in Atlanta, working side by side with producer Ben H. Allen III – already known for his work with artists of the calibre of Deerhunter, Belle and Sebastian and Washed Out – "Universal High" highlights the mental and musical evolution of Childhood, as frontman Ben Romans-Hopcraft himself states.

The new record in fact stems from the singer's "black" roots, surrounded, in his path as a musician and listener, by sounds owing much to the golden age of Motown. But there's much more besides: "Universal High" manages to marry a lounge-oriented mood with an electronic soul, while the songwriting nods to the recent orchestral releases of Alex Turner.

The ten new songs are highly convincing and show an at times surprising pop effectiveness. The first two singles, "Californian Light" and "Cameo", are admirable precisely in this sense: the former, with its fresh, sun-drenched attitude, tells of a love gone wrong, but the powerful groove and gentle falsetto create a relaxed, easy-going atmosphere, ideal for sipping a mojito on scorching sand.

The latter, built on a melody reminiscent of "Amarsi un po'" by Lucio Battisti, updates the band in an indie pop-soul direction. A touch of Italy also seems to resurface in "Melody Says": the synths in the chorus recall the progressive glories of Battiato's "Pollution", while the song's structure reveals the band's near prog-pop side, perhaps mindful of the recent work of Dutch Uncles. Progressive, yes, but with a heart far more rooted in the 80s than one might expect. "Understanding", meanwhile, seems to come straight from the latest effort by Blur ("The Magic Whip"): the pace and synths are somnambulant, tracing an ecstatic melody in circles, aided too by the bass of new band member Thomas Tomaski, the true star of the album.

Also worth remembering are the chart-ready gospel of “Don’t Have Me Back” and the madchester-psychedelic tangle of “Never Ever Seems Right”, which, thanks to a chorus suspended between the most funambulist Prince and club dance music, turns out to be one of the album's high points. Ultimately, Childhood's comeback is destined to endure as an excellent piece of work, crafted with a skill that will make those who inevitably turn up their noses at this musical shift blush with envy. In truth, not all of the background elements of “Lacuna” have been lost, and although the band won't shift the balance of British indie-pop, the refinement and vitality of some of these compositions have little to envy in those of names currently more in vogue.

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03/08/2017