Blue by Communions

Communions - made up of brothers Martin and Mads Rehof and high school friends Jacob van Deurs Formann and Frederik Lind Köppen - began in 2014. The quartet came together at Copenhagen's infamous venue-cum-rehearsal space, Mayhem, they wilfully took chances with their music to see if they could arrive somewhere else. It was the band's conviction that let them land here intact, and with a collection of songs that chart their journey.

Blue makes the most of everywhere Communions have been. And through all of this the stakes have changed, but the sensitivity and craft with which the band takes risks has bloomed. An eloquence now shines through, and you can take it or leave it. Discarding some of the moodiness found in their previous recordings, Blue tells us what was always natural to Communions. It's about love, and taking chances, it's about trying something, and it still doesn't matter if there's apprehension—it's better when you're too busy to notice. The youthful confusions and exaggerated sentiments are there, though this time it's captured with a newfound maturity. It's a change in perspective presented in pop.

The opening tracks of Blue prime us for the ride. 'Come On, I'm Waiting' rallies us with a rhythm that punches and a lyric that doesn't start with introductions, peaking into an anthemic call. The following track, 'Today,' is peppered with a wistfully mournful guitar that propels the song along, washing over Rehof's wry cry of intent.

The band stalks new territory with a distinctive edge on 'Midnight Child.' Their effortless way with melody is wound tight into what feels like an aching glance across a dance floor. On 'Don't Hold Anything Back,' we soar on a blissed-out, hyper-real summer day. It cuts through the album like the statement the band were always dying to make. It has the heady lust of their earlier recordings, but with a tough-but-tender stare.

Communions have brought everything they were brooding over into focus with Blue. A love song's a love, but a love song with a heart of its own beats louder. The band are louder and clearer, and the immediacy of the experience is stunning.

copenhagen