Named after an 18th-century violinist cobbler who got everybody dancing, the time-served Kent folkies have found a major deal and high-profile champions ranging from DJs to a high-fashion house, who used their music on an advert. Their poppiest album marks what they call an “evolution” from previous, more rootsy efforts. Thus, sibling singers Matt and Julia Lowe have Of Monsters and Men-type shouty harmonies; there’s Mumford-type rambunctious folk and Stornoway’s joyous elemental pop. The big-drummed Contrails finds Julia hooting like an owl, and they’re the latest band to have their photographs taken in a magical-looking forest. If there is a distinctive element, it’s the almost Europop synths and polished pop production. The haunting Sober detours from the default mode of nice and cheery, the darker subject matter suggested in the title. The brass-laden St Tropez and catchy title track both make good stabs at becoming hits, although they may not have enough to stand out in an overcrowded market.
