The Hazey Janes – Language of Faint Theory

For their fourth album, Dundee’s The Hazey Janes returned to El Puerto De Santa Maria – the small Andalusian city where they’d recorded debut Hotel Radio back in 2006. That Language of Faint Theory has such clear ties to the band’s own past seems highly appropriate given the pensiveness that washes through its entirety, from the inscription on its sleeve (“For Michael, and all those who dare,” dedicating the record to Alice and Matthew Marra’s musician father) to the reflective tenor of songs like All is Forgotten.

Throughout, this wistful quality is accentuated by producer Paco Loco’s rich analogue recordings – a vintage sound that befits their classic MOR songwriting style. Where 2011’s The Winter That Was foregrounded the band’s power-pop side, Language… is a more muted collection that makes a comparatively light impression. But its mellow tempos and winsome melodies are sincere and satisfying, with a classy maturity that shouldn’t be taken for granted. [Chris Buckle]