Everything Everything long ago mastered falsetto-fuelled eclectic synth-pop with tracks like 2010’s ‘Qwerty Finger’. Get To Heaven has all the charm of the band’s polyphonic-ringtone-inspired early songs, but with a heightened gravity as lead singer Jonathan Higgs’ lyrics reach a new level of cryptic.
The album storms open with ‘To The Blade‘, which lulls the listener into a false sense of security before crashing into a high-powered track about jealousy-inspired violence. The whole album centres around the passage of time and mortality as Higgs puzzles over his “password” to enter Heaven in the ironically upbeat ‘Get to Heaven‘, while looking retrospectively back on life like a supernatural being in the irresistible ‘Regret‘.
With its abnormal rhythms and perturbing vocals, the band has long been a favourite in the alt-pop world, sitting comfortably alongside the likes of Django Django and Caribou. But if Everything Everything’s new cover art alone is anything to go by, Get To Heaven is a disturbing but fascinating turning point for the group. Contrasting Nintendo-pop melodies with morose lyrics, the band has found the balance between 2am dance fodder and serious listening – and we hope it’s here to stay.
