After mapping out post-punk with their first three albums in the 1970s, and taking various excursions since, Wire’s 16th continues the Indian summer that began Change Becomes Us in 2013. They may not take the brave leaps into new territories they once did, but instead explore the detail in the terrain they themselves uncovered. Thus, repetitive rhythms nestle alongside walls of fuzz. However, this is a slower, more melancholy Wire, one that finds them at their most melodic and enigmatic. As ever, it requires more than a thesaurus to unravel lyrics such as “Skippering a skiff, in the typhoon season” and “Have you got a shed of ions?” But Diamond Cups and A Short Elevated Period are some of the strongest tunes they’ve ever done. The faster-paced latter song sees – as an old compilation was once titled – Wire play pop, but in a manner that pushes at the form, with a chorus only arriving at the end. Wire continue to thrive on their own terms.
