Smother, the third full-length album from Kendal, England’s Wild Beasts is their strongest to date and one of the best records of the year thus far. Super dramatic and lushly melodic, it’s an addictive journey that grows more and more interesting with repeat listens. Singer Hayden Thorpe has a unique (some may say affected), light, lilty tenor voice–more restrained here than on previous releases–and it soars along with the music. If you find it to your liking, than Wild Beasts will soon become one of your favorite bands. “Lion’s Share” sets the tone nicely, indicative of an album full of beautiful silences and thundering crescendos. Other stand-out tracks include “Loop the Loop” and “Plaything,” but I’ve decided to highlight the gorgeous mid-tempo burner “Albatross,” coincidently the first single released from the record. There’s a touch of Martin Gore-penned Depeche Mode in it, and it really stuck with me when I first heard it.

WILD BEASTS/ALBATROSS