Along with Jessy Lanza and Dan Snaith (Caribou), the Junior Boys make up a triptych of Hamilton, Ontario music acts who have given the city a reputation for interesting electronic acts and added a softness to contrast with its steelmaking past. On their first album in five years, the Junior Boys carry on their love affair with dance music and electronica, shifting between edgy Chicago house (M&P), poppy acid (And It’s Forever), sultry electro (C’Mon Baby) and R&B (Love Is a Fire). They say they’ve been rejuvenated after working with Lanza on her Hyperdub albums, and you can tell – he songs here have rawness and energy. Even a cover of Bobby Caldwell’s 1978 blue-eyed soul hit What You Won’t Do for Love doesn’t feel out of keeping with the more dancefloor-focused tracks – it’s that ability to mix elements smoothly that makes Big Black Coat so easy to love.
