A Different Kind of Fix

Editors’ Notes On its third album, Bombay Bicycle Club fashions a sound expansive enough to encompass introspective folk, ambient pop, and even a hint of ‘80s new wave. Under the production guidance of Ben H. Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), the North London foursome retains the whimsical charm of its earlier work while increasing the rhythmic drive and textural variety. BBC’s eclecticism finds unity in Jack Steadman’s softly insistent vocals, a natural outlet for the band’s impressionistic lyrics. If Fix’s song themes tend to be elusive, the tracks here are often insidiously catchy. Tunes like “Shuffle” (built around a stuttering piano and spring-loaded beat), “Your Eyes” (as lean and propulsive as vintage post-punk), and “What You Want” (boasting an insistent drum hook) are effortlessly ear-grabbing. Veering into more atmospheric regions are pastel-toned numbers like “Fracture” and “Favorite Day” (the latter tinged with a genteel psychedelia). Chorale vocals and a simmering groove lend “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep” a hypnotic power.