Chapel Club – Good Together

The Chapel Club boys are on an upward trajectory. Their 2011 debut Palace established their indie strength and lyrical insight; Good Together is the product of a band exploring their sound. Blossoming into pulsing synths and hearty samples, this London quintet are emerging as an outfit worth their salt, giving listeners a refreshingly inventive and infectious ten-track package.

Neatly nestling ear-worm toe-tappers (Shy, Wordy) among more measured bouts of poignancy (the shimmering, harp-led Force You), the album is a satisfying grab-bag of ups and downs, all tied together by wordsmith and frontman Lewis Bowman’s choice poetry. They may have traded in the anthemic vigour of their last outing, but the move from guitars to the variety of Good Together is a creatively profitable direction. The result is an introspective record full of promise and charm. [George Sully]