The Beauty Between was one of my favourite albums of 2013, in fact it came third in a very closely fought battle with Whenever, If Ever by TWIABP and LP2 by Restorations. I gave it a listen on Bandcamp when it first came out and I wasn't immediately blown away by it, but for that I blame streaming music as a medium because this album is excellent (which is actually quite ironic, because it was streaming their first album that got me into them. Maybe it's a time-and-a-place thing instead). When I actually gave it the time it deserves I couldn't stop listening to it.
Compared to their first album, The Beauty Between is somehow more poppy and accessible, yet also more aggressive and heavy. I'm not sure how they managed to turn up both of those sets of dials at once, but it works. The highlight for me by far is the sprawling, dark The Hunger Suite on side two, especially that slight hint of saxophone as Part I breaks. It's subtle enough that you don't hear it at first but adds so much to that song. LMD, Wrong Way/One Way and Party Queen are all excellent songs too. It's one of those albums I'd love to sing along to if I could only keep up with the speed that Erica and Matt sing at.
I picked up this copy in a fairly large haul from Banquet Records just after I'd found a job after finishing my PhD. I'd spent a few months solidly applying for, interviewing for and not getting a wide variety of jobs and that really cut into my record buying. That day in July I finally stocked up on all the 2013 releases I'd missed out on. The Beauty Between was certainly one of the highlights and the mp3s became a go-to on my walk to work.
Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 14
Cost: £11 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 18/07/13
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code
