Both Hands – Be Like a Mountain in a Moonlit Way

Edinburgh synth pop duo Both Hands crash the summer party with a lyrical, hopeful album which combines a futurist vision with a Wicker Man aesthetic to perfect effect. This is nouveau nostalgia for a moment in time that seems increasingly overlooked. The 90s weren’t just about Blur and Oasis – there were also groups like Moloko, Goldfrapp and Lamb moving away from basic beats, while You’re Not Alone by Olive and Not Over Yet by Grace took the dancefloor in a different direction.

Wherever a flamboyant frontwoman may be found, there will surely follow a Kate Bush reference. Yet vocalist Hailey Beavis comes across more like Judee Sill or Alison Statton (Young Marble Giants); there’s an absolute absence of artifice to any of the tracks that gives the listener chills as well as thrills. 

Be Like a Mountain in a Moonlit Way sounds altogether like an album, rather than a collection of tracks. There are moments of thoughtfulness between the more upbeat tracks, giving the piece a sense of what might have happened if Life Without Buildings had been remixed by Perfecto. 'I will burn with love for you', sings Beavis on Turn the Sunset Up. Both Hands are ready to set September on fire.

Listen to: How May I Remain, Ladder, Three Years