The North is a fun, sleek and crisp album that is far more expansive and stimulating than Stars' previous effort The Five Ghosts. Opener The Theory Of Relativity, with its pulsating drumbeats and '80s-inspired synth rhythms, is a catchy, enjoyable track and a good indication of what's to come. The simple, stripped-back title track showcases singer Torquil Campbell's vocals effortlessly, and the harmonies between Campbell and Amy Millan on the chorus have them both sounding better than ever.
The infectious track Hold On When You Get Love… is the band at their indie pop best, and possibly the standout track from The North. The new wave-inspired, catchy guitar riffs, the loud, lively drums and the interesting dissection of Campbell on verse and Millan on chorus makes for an incredibly memorable and enjoyable track.
However, where there are highs there are also lows, and The North does contain a few songs that are somewhat disappointing. Do You Want To Die Together?, which plays off the emotional duets from 1950s love songs, just comes across as a loud jumble of guitars and drums over a less than inspiring chorus of “Do you want to die together/Yes I do, yes I do”. Similarly, Lights Changing Colour, the following track which features Millan as the sole vocalist, is a bit of a washed-out affair that doesn't do justice to her voice and fails to really go anywhere.
Despite this, The North is a very enjoyable and well-produced album. The highlights of this record clearly showcase why Stars are such a great band, and it is mint to see that they have worked on the problems from their past album to create something far stronger and more enjoyable.
