Review: Years & Years - Night Call

Years & Years

Night Call

Full of sensual synths, ‘Night Call’ takes Alexander’s musical project in a bright and exciting new direction.

★★★★

It’s been a decade since the first Years & Years single. Originally joining the band as they searched for a lead vocalist, Olly Alexander has since adopted the moniker for himself as a solo artist, following the amicable departure of bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen last year.

This past year has fittingly seen Alexander blossom into his own star due to a triumphant return to his acting roots. He wowed audiences with a critically acclaimed performance in the incredible and moving drama, It’s A Sin, in which he played a young gay man during the height of the AIDs epidemic in London. His cover of the Pet Shop Boys track from which the show takes its name (performed with Elton John) was a showstopper at last years BRITs awards. Finally, Alexander closed out the year with a spectacular display for the BBC’s annual New Year's Eve concert.

That brings us to ‘Night Call’ which in essence, feels much more like the music Alexander has always wanted to make. Sonically, it isn’t too much of a drastic departure from the indie-pop Years & Years are known for, crucially, however, it is bursting with a bright disco sheen. Speaking recently with The Guardian, Alexander said “All I wanted to make was uptempo music you could dance to in a club” and he’s absolutely spot on. The record is full of wall to wall disco-tinged pop bangers, there’s a homage to now frequent collaborator Kylie Minoque, intimacy and sensuality akin to Jessie Ware’s delightful ‘What’s Your Pleasure’ and even a delightful electro-funk groove in the guise of opener ‘Consequences’ which wouldn’t feel amiss on Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’.

Sensuality is a key theme for the album. There’s a boldness and confidence in Alexander’s sexually charged songwriting and melodies that previously he hadn’t embraced. Take ‘Sooner Or Later’ for example, it’s brimming with the sexual tension of bodies packed up against each other in a nightclub, the feeling of two people exchanging glances across the dancefloor. Synths pulse like an increasing heartbeat, excited at the prospect of a dangerous liaison that can only end in heartbreak. It’s a hook-up anthem through and through, and Alexander is swooning over the chorus in delight. That feverous electricity surges through the album, lead single ‘Starstruck’ remains a killer pop track that perfectly channels the joy of infatuation. Title track ‘Night Call’ echoes Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ with its percussion practically demanding limb rotations. 

If the opening tracks demonstrate desire, then the rest of the album is all about the passion and lust that follows the initial chase. There’s a smooth and slinky groove to the sensual synths of ‘Crave’ whilst on ‘Intimacy’ Alexander sings ‘come here, come closer, let me tie you to a four poster’. Whilst lyrically, the record tends to stick to its theme of after-hours connections, melodically, there’s a diverse selection of electronica and pop that consistently thrills in new and exciting ways.

The album truly excels with its brilliant centrepiece pairing of the sublime Galantis collaboration ‘Sweet Talker’ and the likewise excellent ‘20 Minutes’. On ‘Sweet Talker’ the Swedish production duo Galantis inject a shimmering spiral staircase of synths that delightfully trickle down your spine like treacle. The pop hit is as sticky sweet as the name suggests. Meanwhile ‘20 Minutes’ is dedicated to a fleeting and fiery liaison featuring Alexander delicately yearning over the power ballad’s chorus. 

Whilst there are no traditional ballads per se, there’s plenty of more gentle simmers populating the back half of the record, ‘Make It Out Alive’ shimmers like the early sounds of CHVRCHES, whilst there’s a wistful mysteriousness floating alongside Alexander’s fluctuating vocals on ‘Strange and Unusual’. There’s a slight criticism of a lack of variety by the time the album reaches its conclusion, especially with its strongest moments dominating the first half. Saying this, it’s a cohesive project that sticks to Alexander’s clear vision and begs to dominate its own dedicated club night.

Ultimately, Night Call is a brilliantly bold Electro-Pop record that finds Alexander embracing the sounds he’s always wanted to create. His lyrics, melodies and the album as a whole are glowing with newfound confidence. I believe Alexander best summarises the record himself when he swoons “I just want to feel that beat in my heart again because you make it sound so immaculate”.