We might expect a certain amount of mystery from a dubstep posse, or a dance collective – but we don’t get many guitar bands turning from the limelight. WU LYF are not just another guitar band however – and their stealth-like (and cult-like) campaign has only heightened reactions to this, their masterful debut.

It manages to throw across moments of glistening guitar beauty and glowing organ sounds behind a voice which encapsulates the frustration of Joe Strummer, the epic anticipation of Win Butler, and the gravelled intonation of Tom Waits. The owner of the voice is Ellery Roberts (who also plays the organ), and he clearly knows when to growl with momentum and when to shred any surviving areas of his ripped and raw tonsils.

Many of these songs begin with just the solitary, streaming organ. We then we fall into a complex rhythm of beats and electric guitars that continually levitate higher and higher with a purified, untouched sound. Structurally the songs, like the band, don’t adhere to the norm, making for wide open ventures and often epically delivered passages. ‘We Bros’ is one such example, where Roberts calls across a sea of guitars and keys, which then falls inwards – pushing fast, rhythmic drums and sharply cut yelps. The track, like much that is here, has a generous amount of reverb, which only magnifies the band’s over-sized personality.

‘Cave Song’ is an absolute gem – a constant momentum bleeding through the track’s bloody narrative and gritty realism. Yet it is just one of many highs, all of which check in within cold realities and wide open spaces in equal, and impressive measures.

-Harper Lawson-