Like many 'difficult second albums',
Truth Is A Beautiful Thing (2017) was about the downside of fame. In the case of London Grammar, that was specifically singer/lyricist Hannah Reid's severe stage fright and the exhaustion of touring extensively after the 2013 debut. The album was fine, but moderately received. 'You think success is fantastic. But when you're in the middle of it, you wonder why
… you have no control over it. And if being a woman has something to do with that', Reid recently stated on the release of the successor. According to her, this third album is about 'taking possession of my own life'. And that resonates. Californian Soil is self-assured and has a very strong style, and shakes off earlier comparisons with The xx in passing. Many of the songs don't sound special at first, but gradually reveal themselves. London Grammar still make quiet music with subtle dance beats, but they add a nice undercurrent of tension. And Hannah Reid sings as heavenly as ever. (RME)more
