The Clientele - Bonfires on the Heath

Author

Liam Blackford

Published

Thursday 28th January

The latest album from dreamy rockers The Clientele, Bonfires on the Heath, marks a departure from their reverb-heavy origins into a clearer, more accessible sound. Certainly, long time fans of The Clientele will notice that the band has taken things into far more radio-ready territory. However, in spite of the fact that this album has far more brighter, poppier moments than the Clientele’s debut Suburban Light from 2000, they have not abandoned their ability for creating restless, stirring and completely immersive sonic portraits.

For a band who in the beginning of their career predominantly stuck to lo-fi sensibilities, Bonfires is the album that is most likely to find mainstream appeal. While the pie-eyed lyrical work won’t feel new to most established fans, the jaunty instrumentation of the album opener I Wonder Who We Are sets the theme for the entire record, and is a new move for the band. That said, this album is unlikely to alienate old fans. Tracks like Graven Wood and Harvest Time are examples of the band’s impeccable ability to create beautiful and charismatic rock soundscapes.

The major shortcoming with this release is that while the band has obviously tried to appeal to a broader audience by reigning in the atmospheric abstractness of their previous music, the music on Bonfires on the Heath can sometimes be too fragile to reach any proper highs. Share The Night is a example of a song which feels weak because the overwhelming sensitivity of the vocals and instrumentation gets in the way of what could potentially be a fantastic, dynamic pop track. However, for listeners with the right amount of patience, Bonfires on the Heath has more than a few amazing, high-reaching moments which definitely outweigh the weaker ones.