Seen in the wider context of their career as a whole, the album may be viewed as an oddity, but a sparse approach works wonders;
Smilewound, their sixth studio album, reinforces that more traditional pop structures surely here to stay, but you still couldn’t call them a pop band.
While some established fans may find Smilewound not quite to their usual taste, there’s no doubt it’s a subtle but significant step forward for a group that looked to be in danger of running out of ideas.
It's remarkable that an album with so much fast, dynamic percussion still has such a lugubrious pace, which makes all the sharp details drift by in an indistinct mass.
It is now clear that the collective has completed its first expressive cycle and is indulging in repetitions that may be useful to them but uncomfortable for the outside world.