A classy, clever fourth LP for the British indie singer-songwriter, now signed to Chrysalis, with a tight, stripped back, thrumming sound, experimental at times, and packed also with excellent hybrid tracks spanning funk, pop, indie, folk and rock. Named after the playground game, it’s also an artfully eccentric and inventive release. Opener and lead single Big Machine instantly stands out as a thumping banger, but there’s much else to enjoy here, such as the sprightly, unsusual Names of Plants And Animals, the fabulous see-sawing rock of No One, which has a feel of early Beta Band, the woozy funk of That’s Life, the gliding, summery feel of Oars, the krautrocky drive and fuzz No Worries If Not, or the minimalist talky electro-pop of Strut. Perhaps the most striking of all is the syncopated, percussive experimental On Loss And Overcoming Despair, which, towards the end of the album, moves into the dreamy, serene but also emotional and soaring closer Top Level Joy, where Lawrence’s voice perhaps at its most beautiful. A mature, highly original, confident album of oddball beauty with arrangements that really prove the ‘less is more’ philosophy. Out on Chrysalis.
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