2012: With the heavily patriotic backdrop of the imminent Olympic Games, Swim Deep released a grungy, homebodied video for an anthem of the short lived B-TOWN scene, ‘King City’. A few months later, DIIV presented Oshin; forty minutes and sixteen seconds of pure under-the-influence shoegaze and meanwhile, Mac Demarco was recording his debut.

But cutting through a flannel draped, dangerously doe-eyed image with sharp suit creases, Spector‘s release of Enjoy It While It Lasts offered a wider scope to post-noughties indie music; not only can it be lo-fi and acutely angsty, but also dapper with dark humour. Though enjoyable, it was a rather incohesive and garishly melodromatic selection providing denim/fur clad teens with something to jump around to.

Moth Boys, however, has a personal angle; modern and minimalistic, opener ‘All The Sad Young Men’ – a borderline power ballad supported by a mid eighties-esque riff – casts a shadow of stylish melancholy over the rest of the album. Spector present a commentary on 21st century romance, particularly evident in ‘Bad Boyfriend’ where Fred Macpherson croons, “My battery’s ten percent let’s generate content”, to a gentle oscillating instrumental ≤highlighting how devices can replace human interaction. ‘Bad Boyfriend’ also indicates how they have now delved into the realms of self examination, despite the fact that after three years Fred is still heartbroken. Also taking on a conversational tone, ‘West End’s slight camp-ness and triumphant tone shows how the dramatic edge that Spector came on to the scene with has still been retained in small doses.

Enlisting the help of Dev Hynes as a producer has proven to fortify Spector’s sound with a rich ’80s dance pop vibe that seeps especially into Cocktail Party/Heads interlude, which, despite the gloomy lyrics, is the happiest song on the album, with an intricate blend of upbeat funk and baritone.

The metamorphosis of a band is a common occurrence; take Arctic Monkeys, whose initial cheeky chappy appearance and sound was tainted over the years, resulting in the artificial American overlay we see them with today. With Spector, however, it has produced clean cut, more evocative tracks. Unlike Enjoy It While It Lasts, where songs such as ‘Chevy Thunder’ and ‘Friday Night Don’t Ever Let It End’ suggested a generic indie rock attempt at anthems, Moth Boys displays a more selective and less heavy handed approach that has helped to produce an honest and mature sound.

At this rate, Spector can only get better.

Moth Boys is released on 21st August via Fiction Records.

Oseta Agboaye