When Friendly Fires arrived on the scene more than a decade ago their musical roots were in St Albans via Rio de Janeiro. The channeling of Brazilian disco, funk and samba influences, plus singer Ed Macfarlane’s endearing dad-dancing, made their lithe indie pop refreshing. On Inflorescent — their first album following an eight year hiatus — they aim brazenly for the dancefloor.
The flirtatious groove of single Heaven Let Me In is irresistible, with beefed-up dance production by Disclosure. Silhouette, stuffed full of hooks, marks another highpoint.
So what’s changed since they’ve been away? The more overt nods to South American styles are gone, with complex polyrhythms replaced by thumping drum machines and acid house synths. At times melodic intricacies are smothered by overbearing productions, and the group only really break into a sweat on a frenzied cover of Charles B & Adonis’s Lack Of Love.
There’s plenty to enjoy though, and the thunderous closing track Run the Wild Flowers suggests there’s still a lot to come from Friendly Fires after a long time away.
