Hannah Reid of London Grammar lures us in to her love affair with the group’s new, mystifying sound in “Feelings,” a B-side of their latest single, “Strong.” Hailing from o’er the pond, London Grammar has their feet wet with this month’s debut album, If You Wait, a beautiful introduction to a band finding its path.
“Feelings” digs a blunt claw into the song’s root, challenging the band’s next step. A tribal bongo and Santana-esque guitar are bound by the laws of London Grammar — a set of structural rules that govern something… something they haven’t quite figured out.
Going raw is a dangerous step for anyone with synthetic success (cough, cough, Daft Punk, cough, sneeze) but it is that organic acculturation that drenched the French disc jockeys in reverence. London Grammar is already soothing ears as a player in “UK sex-groove,” my sub-genre comprised of vocalists Florence, Adele, and Daughter.
Though tribal and scenic, the instrumentals are additives. Reid’s voice is the keystone, as she could make silence echo. Echo. Echo.
It’s a B-side but a grade-A effort. Get excited about London Grammar. They will be sticking around.