I first familiarized myself with Arthur Beatrice when I wrote about their single, “Grand Union,” for our Best of 2013 list and found that the only way to aptly describe the English Indie rockers’ sound was to say that they have a “sedated fierceness.” A few months later, this still holds true for “Grand Union” — but the same cannot be said for “Late,” which takes on a different tone entirely.
With “Late,” off of their newly released album, Working Out, you get a totally new feel and it’s so different and fresh that it’s like being completely re-introduced to the band. “Late” is the vacation you take with old friends where you get to see them in a different light and know them on a more intimate level, and in this case the friends are Orlando Leopard, Ella Giardot, and Hamish and Elliott Barnes who make up Arthur Beatrice.
With lyrics like “And I am a stone that you are shaping out, carving up bone to form a face so proud,” it’s hard to not feel or notice the vulnerability that is layered within their music. The song delves deeper into a pulsating emotionally vocal and musical rhythm, hitting levels that tracks like “Grand Union” and “Midland” can’t seem to reach, though it ultimately rounds out the album and conveys the poetic talent of this incredible group of musicians. Since Arthur Beatrice made this many strides on their debut, then I have even bigger expectations for their sophomore album, but for right now I’m perfectly content with “Late.”