Album Review: Secular

Expectations are a bitch. Or so might think Quiet Steps acolytes, as the elusive Brisbane trio bring out their long-overdue second LP.  Their debut record, Think Aloud, was a serrated slap to the face, offering left-of-centre indie rock compositions with liberal lashings of scream-inflected charisma and chaos. The newie Secular is an altogether different beast though, forgoing the aggression for a slicker approach. However, rather than being an incomprehensible misstep, the album manages to rival Think Aloud in its ferocity, ambition and zeal.

It takes one second of opener Introduction to hear the difference. There has been a lot more effort placed on production, and it's a welcome surprise to hear that the buffing of the rusted edges has actually provided a clearer platform for the band to launch off. The intricacies inherent in their math-rock instrumentation are much more defined, thus making it more apparent how well-constructed these songs really are. Also a marked change is the duration of the tracks, most notably on the closer Finding Evidence. The average four-minute songs now have room to breathe, to develop, and to properly construct the tension that they have previously hinted at.

The biggest difference though is the lead vocals, eschewing the screams and yelps for a much more melodic mode of delivery. But rather than being a detractor, it fits in perfectly with the other changes, offering an expansive, immersive listening experience without stricture or overt definition. In fact, Secular sounds like a band emancipated from the restraints that a genre can inadvertently provide, and by shirking those tropes have creatively broken through the glass ceiling. A brave move that has more than paid off