Delays - Everything's The Rush

Jul 8, 2008

In 2004, Southampton's Delays were a hot prospect, having signed to Rough Trade, supported the likes of the Manics and Franz Ferdinand and released Top 20 debut album Faded Seaside Glamour to critical acclaim. Capitalising on singer Greg Gilbert's falsetto style and the lush synth arrangements of brother Aaron, the band were a modern pop outfit - an antidote to the spiky, angular guitar music that was dominating the 'indie' market. They were compared to the Cocteau Twins and cited the likes of Prince and The Las as influences. For a while it seemed that they were quite possibly the genuine article.

Their sophomore album for Rough Trade again saw them picking up the plaudits as well as some particularly fond reviews from, bizarrely enough, the likes of Nuts and FHM Magazines. For a band of indie fops with a girlie-voiced singer, they hadn't half done a good job of appealing to the terrace-chanting masses. Their tracks were featured on Match of the Day, they made appearances on perennial lads show, Soccer AM but the album didn't shift the units that were hoped for. A split from Rough Trade followed and they signed a dream deal with Polydor's Fiction, a move that has brought us third album, 'Everything's The Rush'.

Listening to a Delay's album is a generally happy affair. They don't tend to do dark brooding music, instead focussing on cheery melodies and catchy choruses. Everything's The Rush is no different seeing the band take an 'if it ain't broke...' approach. There doesn't seem to be anything that is going to convince the doubters here, and on the first listen some of the tracks can start to blend into one a bit, but with repeated plays, standouts start to emerge. Aaron Gilbert has more vocal time on this album than he has done on previous records and it's one of these tracks that gives the album one of its highpoints. 'One More Lie In' is a call to arms about taking on the world and the power of love, if you will. When Gilbert sings 'I'm brave enough for both of us / and ten feet tall when things get tough / Fuck the neighbours turn this up / We fought the war and won the cup', it's a genuinely moving moment. Tracks like 'Hooray', 'Love Made Visible' and the almost yodelling performance of Greg Gilbert on 'Girl's on Fire' keep the cheeriness quotient high and by the time you get through the highly pleasant, almost Christmassy final track, 'Jet Lag' you'll find your disposition considerably sunnier. It's fair to say that Delays haven't reinvented the wheel with this one; anyone who hoped that a new label home might lead to a new sound will be sorely disappointed, but the world's a happier place with them in it and for that we should all be thankful.

Harry Powell

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