London Grammar Are Bringing In The Big Guns For Their New Album

London Grammar was one of 2013's big break-out stories. The band recast epic Bristolian trip hop for millennials with their debut, If You Wait. But can they build on that success with Truth Is A Beautiful Thing?

London Grammar — singer-songwriter Hannah Reid, guitarist Dan Rothman, and drummer/percussionist/electronics guy Dominic "Dot" Major — should be confident. With Truth Is A Beautiful Thing, they've maximised their sound, shedding any comparisons to The xx. Reid delivers melancholy hyper-ballads, out-Adele-ing Adele. There's more of that sublime wintriness — London Grammar's electronica the antithesis to tropical house. The symphonic Hell To The Liars may just clinch them a Bond theme.

In the past, London Grammar's members have freely admitted to feeling overwhelmed by fame and relentless touring. Today a reserved Reid assures that they did have sufficient time out — even as she conducts 8am interviews. "We had a couple of months off, I'd say, 'cause, after the first album, we toured it for two-and-a-half years. So we did need some time off when we got home, which we had — [and] which was really, really nice. Then we were just straight back into the studio, really."

"As long as we can carry on making music and buy dinner for ourselves and afford living in London..."

Reid, Rothman and Major formed London Grammar as students at the University Of Nottingham. Gigging around London, they generated buzz the old-fashioned way — signing to Ministry Of Sound. Reid strategically collaborated with Disclosure on Settle and London Grammar were especially successful in Australia with If You Wait. Between projects, they cut a haunting cover of INXS' Devil Inside that soundtracked a Game Of Thrones trailer. Still, London Grammar mainly toured — embarking on their inaugural Australian run with Falls Festival in late 2013. In fact, the trio shared their comeback single, Rooting For You, while here again on New Year's Day.

London Grammar recorded If You Wait with Tim Bran, of Dreadzone notoriety, and Roy Kerr. Yet, for Truth Is A Beautiful Thing, they've hired such big guns as Paul Epworth (Florence + The Machine, Adele), who guided Rooting For You. The band had writing sessions, too, with American popsmith Greg Kurstin. "I think, with the first album doing well, it gave us that opportunity to work with people that are really experienced," Reid explains. "[But] we were a little bit apprehensive about going in with [other] writers — it doesn't always work at all." Most credibly, London Grammar connected with Jon Hopkins, melotronica auteur, for Big Picture — the song evoking an atmospheric Texas. "He's done a lot of work that basically we all really like," Reid notes. "His own music is quite different, but he's also really talented at taking the sound of a band or an artist and playing with it."

Truth Is A Beautiful Thing reveals dramatic song titles — Hell To The Liars, Non Believer and Leave The War With Me. Though Reid's lyrics are oblique, they might be construed as political songs about Brexit and the state of the world. Only, Reid says pointedly, London Grammar aren't necessarily making 'woke pop'. "I've been asked that a lot, actually. I've never written a political song sort of in mind. But I do think that what does happen is that obviously, as an artist, you do just absorb everything around you. So I can see why people have taken that interpretation. But I wouldn't say that I'm particularly politically-driven. There's one song on there that is a bit about climate change and the world, but there aren't songs specifically about Brexit." Her "happy sad" songs are personal. "I think, really, it's my own experiences — it is quite stream-of-consciousness. If I write a song, it will just tend to come out. It's only sometimes when I look back on lyrics that I've written in hindsight, that I'm like, 'Oh, it's funny that I wrote that then', I didn't realise I was feeling that way, but obviously I was. They're very autobiographical."

London Grammar are themselves influential. Belgium's 2017 Eurovision Song Contest entry, Blanche's City Lights, was a London Grammar bite — down to the husky vocals and Bran's production credit. (The song placed fourth.) When probed about it, Reid is unaware but surprisingly chuffed. "That's so funny!" she responds. "I haven't seen it. I'll have to watch it."

London Grammar are yet to impact the US as fellow Brits Adele or Sam Smith have. They're not preoccupied with global domination, however. "Just whatever happens, happens," Reid philosophises. "As long as we can carry on making music and buy dinner for ourselves and afford living in London... We try and not think about that side of things too much. We leave that to other people, the business side — 'cause, if you think about it too much, I do think that in a way you actually drive yourself mad... I just think it would change your creativity a bit."