James - Yummy
Tim Booth has never been one to shy away from The Big Themes.
Since James’ reformation, he and his bandmates have taken Donald Trump, populism and the devastating effects of climate change to task, most specifically on their two most recent albums, Living in Extraordinary Times (2018) and 2021’s All The Colours Of You.
Sadly, the state of the planet isn’t looking much better and thus, on this eighteenth album, the despair continues. Here, Booth finds space to ruminate on what comes next, filtered through that joyful James lens of positivity and – as always – love.
Celestial disco anthem ‘Better With You’ reflects on floating alone in the world while positing that global Armageddon and the subsequent post-human regeneration of the planet would be beautiful to behold, and even better with company (‘drink in the Northern Lights as the planet reboots’). The heavenly soundscapes and Booth’s voice are excellently complemented by Chloe Alper, radiating beauty amid an apocalypse romance.