All The Colours Of You vinyl

"We're all about to die, that's the truth; quit measuring time by money and youth." James have never struggled with attention grabbing lyrics, but the opener to their 16th studio album in four decades certainly isn't backwards at coming forwards, a particularly crude but effective poetic truth setting the tone for the record that follows, and defining the mood of the era in which it was made. Yep, this is another (part) pandemic production.

Ideas of claustrophobia, pressure and intense anxiety are all over many of the tracks, but the focus goes well beyond the healthcare crisis alone. The title number, for example, looks Stateside, where singer Tim Booth lived for years, taking on the Trump years and civil unrest, class wars and more in its stride, while elsewhere we have forest fires and personal tragedy to contend with. Heavy stuff, all wrapped up in a highly musical, incredibly infectious but also overtly theatrical northern indie package.