I Like Trains – The Shallows

It would be too easy to write off I Like Trains as post-rock also-rans; over the last five years the Leeds outfit have flirted with the notion of a breakthrough, winning acclaim for their dense soundscapes and charcoal subject matter. Yet, as time has moved on the band has dissolved into the background, cast aside as the nearly-but-not-quite-men. With any justice, album number three should change all that.

Produced by Wild Beasts’ collaborator Richard Formby, these nine tracks are a mesmerising progression from the introverted haze of old. Led by the poised, melancholic tones of David Martin, numbers like The Hive and We Used To Talk make their way under the skin with deft use of guitar and synthesizer. Lyrically, it's often grim, but moments of euphoria balance the scales, as in the thrilling, bass-driven Mnemosyne. Far from the spent force one might foolishly presume, The Shallows finds I Like Trains at the top of their game. An extraordinary and evocative return.