Charmingly sophisticated and well-formed

Listen to: ‘Turning To Stone’; ‘Swallowing Diamonds’; ‘Monuments’; ‘Still Nothing’

Once known as Young Runaways, Drakelow have finally dropped their debut full length. And while the sound is definitely similar on a whole, ‘Beauty In Disorder’ shows exactly why the former monikor was dropped: the band have grown up and developed.

‘Beauty In Disorder’ is 43 minutes of matured acousto-folk-blended-indie-pop that is just as comparable to Mumford and Sons as it is to The Smiths and Oasis. It’s that type of generally mellowed but occasionally urgently upbeat music with a fundamental pop element that hides in the midst of the mix.

Of course, an album full of that straightforward sound would so very Oasis. Luckily, Drakelow intersperce that core sound with moments of something very different. Second track ‘Turning To Stone’, for example, hits out with an oddly desert-rock sound that seems a bit similar to Mary Joanna & The Southern Electrikk. While ‘Still Nothing’ has a much more pop-punk vibe to it, underpinned by the jangly guitars that colour it a fun shade of indie. There’s a lot of good variations on a theme.

Drakelow’s debut shows the sophistication that many don’t, with a depth of sound that has been years in the making. Most good debuts don’t hit the same balance that we have here of a core, signature sound sliced with enough variations to sound interesting without sounding jarring. ‘Beauty In Disorder’ is a perfectly ordered and beautiful debut from a band with a special blend of urgently mellow pop-rock.

The album is released on September 22. As a taster, you can hear ‘Turning To Stone’ below.