Catskills doesn't release anywhere near as many albums as their Brighton contemporaries Tru Thoughts. That certainly raises the anticipation level a bunch for when they do. Multiply that by having to wait four years for Simon Little and Tom Bidwell to follow up their critically lauded Hardkandy debut and you've got one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the year. In further opposition to the supposed sophomore album curse, they do not disappoint. The shift in ambience between the two is immediately noticeable. How Do You Do Nothing began with the Air-y jam "Summer Of '95," setting up the debut as one of the year's penultimate summer soundtracks; Last To Leave's opening "Dizzy Dumb" hits you with the sombreness right off the bat. Well, I suppose the butterflies made of syringes, grenades, doll heads, and whatnot in the artwork might've been a clue towards a more serious tone, but it took me a while to notice they were all bleeding. The Hardkandy brand of downtempo funk has refined over their time off as well, receiving guidance from the likes of Terry Callier, Will "Quantic" Holland, and the Lo-Fidelity Allstars. While superior in almost every way to its predecessor, the mood shift makes Leave a complimentary, not contrary, addition to the HK catalogue. Hey, if it takes four years to produce an album of this quality, I'm more than willing to wait.
1. Dizzy Dumb
2. Triage
3. Advice feat. Terry Callier
4. Brown Eyed Girl
5. Three Days feat. Will "Quantic" Holland
6. State Of You feat. Lo-Fidelity Allstars
7. Hold On
8. Loose Ends feat. Will "Quantic" Holland
9. Jack Of Clubs
10. Alright
11. Rhodes To Nowhere
12. Kelly Reid
More about: Hardkandy
