Album Review: Hurts - Exile

With their debut, Hurts set themselves up as the harbingers of a new wave of British pop music. Moody, monochrome and stylised, though their first album didn't hit the heights it should've, it was scattered with pop gems that are sadly amiss on their follow up, Exile.

The title track opens the record with bombast, more than a hint of Matt Bellamy to the vocals and echoing guitar sounds. It's loud, brash and big, but it lacks warmth. A nagging feeling permeates throughout the record, wherein the duo are hitting all the right notes, Theo Walcott's voice is soaring with pitch-perfect precision, but it just doesn't slam the listener in the ears or feet the way it should. Sandman is promising on opening with a whistling percussive riff but rather than building into sonic cacophony, it whimpers out, creepy school choir voices as an addendum.

When they step out of their comfort zone slightly, aiming for the bass tones and big choruses like on Mercy, their skills shine brilliantly. The song borrows occasionally from dubstep-lite, pounding with exhilaration, and is catchy as hell. It feels like they've finally hit their stride, but it's eight songs into the record. As quickly as the mood builds, it drops on the maudlin Somebody To Die For, though The Rope has an anthemic undertone that grips the listener briefly.

There's so much one wants to love about Hurts, and they remain unique in a UK landscape littered with X Factor contestants, but Exile doesn't quite live up to the high expectations.