Album Review: British India - Controller

Always a crowd pleaser, Melbourne indie rockers British India have all the hallmarks of a great live band and they somehow manage to exemplify that even when they're playing in a studio with no audience in sight. Their fourth studio album, Controller, has all the vigour of a live show wrapped up nicely in one ten-track album.

The opening songs are catchy and epitomise the group's trademark garage sound, but it's the power behind Declan Melia's voice on I Can Make You Love Me that sends a shiver down your spine. And the boys go from strength to strength with the following track; they've had a few hiccups since their last album but We Don't Need Anyone sees these hardworking lads stand tall and say, 'screw you, we don't need help, we're doing it our way'. Twice Inna Lifetime packs a real punch as Melia howls, “I'd rather be by my fucking self, but I don't want to see you with anyone else”; the vocals are raw and emotive, and it's catchy as hell.

You get so caught up in the oomph as you bob your head along with the beat, that you can almost forget just how good their lyrics can be – so it's refreshing to hear tracks like Swimming In Winter and closer Crystals. The latter is something new for them, an anthem of sorts, but it's still got all the gritty emotion we've come to expect. And that sums Controller up perfectly: it's not great because it's drastically different from their previous work, it's great because they're steadfast to their sound. They know what works for them, they do it well and they won't change for anyone. That's all there is to it.