A smoky neon-lit club room, a twisted card game and Ben Whishaw dancing like it’s his last night on Earth.
This is the video to Real,
the latest track from London electro group Years & Years. And Whishaw isn’t the only notable actor in
the video, least of all the band’s frontman Olly Alexander who appeared in the
most recent series of Skins. As you
might expect therefore, the band have a flair for the cinematic, something that
spills into their music.
Real follows last
year’s ‘Traps’ EP, both released by KitsunĂ©, though it’s a darker, more pop
focused track that merges current trends for moody R&B, deep house and
electro, a pulsing hand-clap beat driving the music beneath a yawning, surging
bass line and Alexander’s impassioned vocal hooks. If you imagine a more sinister Sam Smith
singing Latch you’re part way there, Alexander’s
lyrics the antithesis of Disclosure’s track detailing a torrid love affair that
includes the line “I itch all night, I itch for you”. Creepy.
The result is a darkly sensual club track with incredibly addictive pop
hooks. You will be dancing as
ecstatically as Whishaw by the end of it, guaranteed.
4/5
Listen: Real is
released on 17th February.