Violence CD

For their sixth full length album 'Violence', melancholic Birmingham alt-rockers Editors have adopted a grander synth-pop sound to frame their typically dark songwriting in. This change in direction comes from collaborating with the album's producer Leo Abraham and composer Blank Mass, who helped the band hone their electronic craft. The songwriting pairs grandiose stadium riffs with assertive synth-work; 'Hallelujah (So Low)' goes straight for the jugular with fat synth leads and lo-fi drums, and the chorus of lead single 'Magazine' balances sections of punchy electronic swagger with singalong melodic euphoria. On 'No Sound But The Wind', there's a glimpse of an earlier Editors sound, more atmospheric and spacious than the tracks that surround it - unsurprising as it's a song the band first debuted back at Glastonbury 2008 and have been re-working since. Following 2015's somewhat confused 'In Dream', Editors sound reinvigorated and confident in the direction 'Violence' is taking them in.