Chromatics "Closer To Grey" (2019) ****

Chromatics fans were expecting their next album to be the much anticipated (and delayed) Dear Tommy, but instead the band has surprised everyone by dropping an entirely different album, Closer To Grey (2019)—their first in 7 years. The Roman numeral on the cover states that CTG is their 7th LP, and the band's label lists Dear Tommy as their 6th, even though it's yet to be released. Regardless, Chromatics' first full-length studio album since 2012's Kill For Love is love at first listen.

In a similar move to KFL's opening Neil Young cover song ("Into The Black"), CTG opens with a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound Of Silence". Much like that Neil Young track, it's not a song I would have pictured Chromatics covering but when you hear it makes perfect sense. Chromatics are a band that can translate their stripped down sound to almost any cover and make it work. There's also another cover, of The Jesus And Mary Chain's "Off The Wall" and it's no surprise as a choice, as that band is clearly a huge influence on Chromatics' sound. They don't change the song much, but it's a great cover and works well withing the context of the album.

There a few surprises in some of the textures and beats on CTG but nothing that diverges too much from Chromatics' palette. Everything you've come to expect and love about their sound is here: Ruth Radelet's airy vocals and sexy/sad lyrics, Johnny Jewel's sparse production, Adam Miller's shimmery guitars, Nat Walker's simple beats, the dreamy analog synths. The band is really on point throughout CTG, which is shorter than the previous two albums, but I personally love a more concise version of Chromatics. Closer To Grey's 46-minute length feels just right.

Recommended for fans of New Order, The Cure, Beach House and The Velvet Underground.

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