No Windows – The Great Traitor
No Windows' second outing on Fat Possum sees the duo expand their musical palette
Past love, the kids at school who never understood, an unreliable narrator; who is The Great Traitor? No Windows share the highs and lows of love for others and oneself, accompanied by lush horns, crashing drum outros, and gentle guitar arrangements that place Morgan Morris and Verity Slangen’s gorgeous vocals at the centre.
The chilling standout track Return gives anger and introspection: ‘Tell me I’m a monster, then I become her’; shards of frosty guitar interspersed with uplifting, nostalgic shuffle, the loud-quiet-loud patterns recalling Pixies. Slangen’s voice beautifully traverses dark and light across the record. Brown Bear and Tricky are sweet love songs for rain or shine, whilst Sugarcoat and Old Chain Pier release tension. The closing duet Easter Island sees the pair “becoming more intertwined as songwriters”, and even features a callback bird sample from 2022’s debut, Fishboy.
The record is ambitious and there’s a lot going on; easygoing Americana, soaring post-rock crescendos, alt-folk à la Regina Spektor, slowcore. It’s hard not to miss the fuzzy urgency of their debut. Yet it’s exciting to hear the expansion of the duo’s musical palette. With such talent and so much still ahead of them, there’s no doubt they are ones to watch.
Listen to: Return, Tricky, Old Chain Pier