The Scottish fourtet comes back for a second opus after their eponymous icebreaker record from 2009.
Born Into Flame picks up where the last record stopped, but with this record the band proves itself more mature and complex in their sound making.
St Deluxe’s sound is without a doubt stuck in the nineties, the raw, stop-and-go rituals propel the fans back into the golden era where pop punk and Britpop shared a table with grunge and garage rock.
That been said, the first track ‘After The Fire’ has a touch of Idlewild which is never a bad first impression.
Through the entire record the guitars are well manoeuvred and chaotic; ‘Please Be Gentle’ uncovers the band’s full potential when it comes to distorted sound waves.
But nothing equals ‘I Know How You Feel’, an apocalyptic and intimate track about the impossibility of love that will leave you with cold shivers thanks to Cameron’s haunting lyrics.
The band plays with cultural references, like with the song ‘Evil Dead’ which reminds us that Sam Raimi started with this very low budget film (and also that Bruce Campbell is a total bad-ass) still considered today as the classic horror movie.
The band may have tried to mix a little too many different styles and genres in this record but they have the merit to have tried something different at least.
Cameron’s muffled voice acts upon the strong and intricate melodies making this album a promising step in the band’s future.
Born Into Flame is a solid and more evolved record that will please the original fans of the band.
Words: Jeremy Veyret
