If, like me, your only taste of Silver Summer so far has been a stripped-down, live piano version of “Breath,” “Closer”, which comes crashing in to open this album, might come as a bit of a surprise. A good one, but a long way from the previous encounter. But that’s good; this opening salvo, having destroyed any preconceptions I might have of the band, means that they are free to work their magic on me, and I am open to whatever they have got.
And what they have got is… well, the lot, or at least a healthy dose of everything that matters to the discerning fan of accessible genre-shifting, barrier-kicking, pop-rock. I call it pop-rock plus because, although that broad hybrid term might be perfect to describe where one of the band’s sonic feet is, the other is dapping and dancing through any genre it feels like kicking up dust in.
“White Boots” throws in plenty of soulful guitar licks and runs on a clever, roller-coaster sound dynamic, “Witness” has a touch of West Coast, 80’s class to it – tasteful, bright and emotive, the version of “Breath” found here is sonically broader, slick and seductive and “Catch Me” is an anthemic and scintilating, mid-paced power-pop piece shot through with George Michael balladic vibes.
I love the fact that Die of Love is so changeable, that it embraces so many genres, but never allows itself to be tied down. That, whilst embracing the modern world, not least through its slick production, the band understands that inspiration is more often found in past glories, and I love the fact that no two songs are the same, yet every song is, in its own way, representative of the Silver Summer sound.
And while this is a band that clearly knows where its sound comes from, it is where it is taking it that is the real story here.
