Embrace - Love Is A Basic Need EP Review

Since finishing the cycle for their somewhat re-inventive fifth album, Embrace have been relatively low profile.  One of their projects has been their Secret Festival, which this year saw the quintet debut new material, which is the foundation for this limited availability release.

Having taken a darker turn on their last release, the signs on lead track 'Only Love Is A Basic Need' are that the band are balancing that with grand indie-anthems that brought their debut album prominence.  Simple in nature it may be, but the chorus is a hook-laden sing-along.  'The White Alien' begins with the sort of soft melody that dominated their career-threatening third album, but again they pull out another grand piece in which vocalist Danny McNamara delivers a powerful fragility.  Disappointingly, 'Bash The Rat' is a forgettable piece that gets nowhere near the level of preceding tracks, but things are looking promising for the full return of these Yorkshiremen.