It begins not with a banger, but with a sultry slow-burner, featuring the perennially dejected vocals of the Weeknd and establishing a slick, subdued style for the follow-up to their platinum-selling Settle. On Caracal, much of the adolescent euphoria that coursed through Disclosure’s debut has been diluted, the duo’s dayglow face paint replaced with musky Davidoff. In their bid to become suave and seductive, they sacrifice the energy and rapturous pop hooks of their debut: apart from the heady live favourite Bang That, there are no surprises, no risks. Some collaborators dissolve into the background, including Lion Babe, Gregory Porter and Miguel. Others soar amid the nocturnal grooves: Brendan Reilly on Moving Mountains (which could seamlessly slot on to Justin Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience), Sam Smith on Omen, Kwabs on Willing & Able and Nao on Superego; but Lorde, who contributes spidery vocals to Magnets, sounds aloof to the point of boredom.
