EP Review: London Grammer "Metal and Dust"

UK trio London Grammar released their debut EP Metal and Dust on the 25^th of February this year and have already received remarkably high praise being hailed a unique combination of Florence Welch and The XX, which had us here at AAA biting our nails for the Australian digital release- which is finally upon us today!

Metal and Dust is a polite and gentle form of electronica that takes you on an emotional journey from the peak of heart break, longing and desperation to the depths of emotional exhaustion, numbness and withdrawal. Written by all three talented band members, Hannah Reid, Dot Major and Dan Rothman, this EP is somehow achingly and hauntingly beautiful without being too sad – which is hard to do! Having said that, you don’t want to listen to this collection of songs after a breakup that’s for sure! Or do... if you’re into that kind of thing, no judgement here. I’m more of a “screw you, I’ ma blast Beyoncé and yell giirrll power!” kinda girl, but having said that I think I have fallen for this wonderful trio and their magical EP.

Our story, dear friends starts with the title track of their EP, Metal and Dust, a song almost devoid of emotion as lead vocalist Hannah sings of a failing relationship in numb mechanical tones- “we argue, we don’t fight, stay awake til the middle of the night”. Her siren like vocals conjures up links to other British talents like Florence (need I say her last name?) Birdy, and Ellie Goulding, which accompanied by the gentle computer pitter-patter create a magical start to the bands EP. Next in line to grace your ear drums is the track Hey Now, the song that first made us fall in love with the quirky trio and is, in my opinion, the heart and soul of this delicious EP. The perfect layering of sounds, the painfully soulful vocals and the obvious heart ache… ooh la la, its goose bump inducing! Receiving more than 900,000 plays on Soundcloud within a couple of months of its release, it’s no wonder the band’s doing so well. The gentle rhythms combined with the Hannah’s powerful vocals make the track just so easy to love.

The third track, Darling Are You Going to Leave Me, is mouth-watering. Here at AAA we are a sucker for a deceivingly upbeat song. By this we mean a song that has you smiling and dancing but after a closer listen has you realising the lyrics are actually heart breaking-ly tragic. This technique has been beautifully mastered over the years (with recent examples like Loon Lakes Cherry Lips) and here London Grammar has pulled it off with a tribal dance edge. It’s the most upbeat track of the EP with funky bongos and a Latin dance salsa feel, yet the lyrics tell the story of a girl desperately noticing her lover is half way out the door- ‘summers gone now I’m bleeding, I can tell now you’re thinking of leaving’. I feel your pain girl… but I can’t help but dance!!!

The fourth and final track of the EP is Dot Major’s remix of Hey Now, which we believe is a hauntingly fitting way to end the unexpected EP. Words fail me with this track; you really must listen to it yourself. It has so much going on, it’s like the perfect embodiment of what it feels like when there are so many thoughts running through your mind that you don’t know where to start so you kind of give in to the madness, sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s a freak train of incredibly eerie sounds and emotions, and I say, all aboard!

All in all the EP is like a gentle electronic lullaby that serenades, soothes and excites you. If Metal and Dust is anything to go by, we’re going to go back to biting our nails in anticipation for a debut album! 

Brigid Neill – AAA Backstage

Download Hey Now (Dot Major Remix)

Word on the Tweet

great British band @londongrammar just released their new EP, gorgeous music and definitely worth checkin! smarturl.it/metalanddust #newmusic

— mr jones (@redstarwxm) February 27, 2013

Track of the day: Wasting My Young Years by London Grammar (and their Metal & Dust EP) #onrepeat

— Céline (@CeLindcherry) May 20, 2013