Post War Years – Galapagos

All Eyes, the opening track on this Hackney-based quartet’s second LP, opens proceedings with bold but unwieldy bluster: a slow, grandiose would-be anthem, it draws equally on the bombast of heavy dubstep and the pomposity of stadium rock. Yet despite their epic ambitions, Post War Years are at their most appealing on Galapagos’ more understated pieces. Be Someone, for example, interweaves playful, percussive Warp-esque electronica with a long, drawn-out refrain of multilayered vocals.
 
The skill with which Post War Years marry their various influences - add to the above post-punk, new wave and afrobeat, among others - gives Galapagos an impressive cohesion, clearly assisted by James Rutledge’s production (MGMT, Grizzly Bear). There’s an unashamed emotiveness underlying that tapestry of influences, however, which means that while the LP is frequently sonically spectacular, it often feels overblown. With more restraint and subtlety, you suspect, this approach could ultimately have a greater impact. [Sam Wiseman]