Native Speaker

The majority of Native Speaker’s most memorable moments are characterised by lapping four part harmonies and rich, roiling crescendos.

There's constant motion, each layer pushing and prodding until they prop each other into something like stasis, its minimalist bent never drawing too much attention to how it's working really hard.

Even when the songs struggle to find their end, Native Speaker remains a remarkably confident first outing.

It doesn't help that each track sounds a bit like the track preceding it, but where that may be a bit of a problem, it's equally the case that the album is a cohesive unit.

Braids are guided by the approaches their avant-pop inspirations take, rather than merely the sounds with their own distinct twist to them.

The cynicism of their lyrics mirrors the wariness with which they approach traditional song structures.