7/10
After amassing huge acclaim and a solid following from their 2013 debut album 'Where The Heaven Are We', Birmingham-based quintet Swim Deep have returned to deliver us their long-awaited follow up 'Mothers'. After first announcing the record more than a year ago, the band have spent the last 12 months slowly drip-feeding us info and the occasional single, but finally getting to hear the completed work feels like worthwhile wait.
Keeping the bulk of their psychedelic indie influence throughout this new release, 'Mothers' seems to show the band are having a little more fun with their sound. It doesn't take long before you get to enjoy a whole range of various inspirations and experimental production ideas that make this new album such an eclectic release. From the acid sounds of 'To My Brothers' to the glossy pop synths of 'Namaste', this record has a whole spectrum of musical directions and seems to bring back fond memories of Super Furry Animals during their heyday.
Definitely a more assured band on this album, Swim Deep have managed to find a explorative position with their sound and exploited it to the nth degree. They are much more confident on this new record as the music really shows them spread their creative wings.