The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery
[Human Season Records]
Perhaps the most curious thing about The Murder Capital’s rapid ascension with their breakout 2019 debut was not only the sudden nature of their arrival on the scene, but also the astonishing lack of familiarity which the band shared with each other. At the time of When I Have Fears’ release three years ago, the band were just nine months old – this newborn chemistry no doubt informed the adrenaline fuelled blast of Factory indebted ‘80s post-punk that soundtracked the group’s socio-political addresses on a fiery first outing, so where do The Murder Capital go from here?
The answer is ‘deeper’. Gigi’s Recovery, written and recorded consistently over what feels a purposely elongated two-year period, finds the Dublin based quintet exploring the depths of their musicality on a moody, existential concept work which demonstrates exactly what the band have learned about each other since in the interval between their arrival and this spirited sophomore LP.
Shedding the relatively simplistic rock instrumentation of their debut in favour of an array of new styles and sounds, The Murder Capital open themselves up to atmospheric drum and bass beats (A Thousand Lives), surreal samples (Crying) and euphoric keys and synths (Ethel) across twelve tracks that reveal an unmistakable evolution in their creators.
As a result, Gigi’s Recovery concerns itself more with narrative and mood while its varied instrumentation shifts and sways between songs, but the overarching theme here is a sense of greater cohesion and clarity as The Murder Capital show a marked sense of development on this technicolour sequel.
