Powys 1999

Although Stats had been around, quietly putting out short-form releases for several years prior, the group had a breakthrough of sorts with 2019s Other Peoples Lives, their full-length debut. They landed on some high-profile best-of-2019 lists in the U.K., made vocal fans of Elton John and Fleabags Phoebe Waller-Bridge (her sister, Isobel, who composed for the show, is a member of the group), and quickly set to work on the follow-up. Recorded in Powys, Wales, near where singer and main songwriter Ed Seed grew up, the next years Powys 1999 offers more of the debuts sleek, idiosyncratic, 70s- and 80s-inspired dance-pop/rock. Delving into more-personal territory than before, it reflects on Seeds childhood, including the political and physical landscapes of his remote mountain upbringing, without skimping on funky dance grooves. Come with Me kicks things off with a pounding four on the floor, industrial timbres, and disco-type flourishes, while lyrics reminisce about being high enough in the mountains to mingle with jet planes (Up here you wont see a soul/Up here you can make decisions). Other potential club bangers include the slinky Naturalise Me, which makes use of Seeds upper vocal range, and the urgent and anxious Out of Body, which dwells on the process of breaking down. Stats change things up on tracks like Travel with Me Through This Ghost World, a melodic, piano-based tune that picks up layered vocal harmonies and swirling synth lines along the way. Later, the spare ballad If Only ends things on a somewhat ominous if affectionate note, wishing it were possible to stay safe throughout life. Despite its more serious tone and some abrupt changes of pace (Innocence is a spritely, McCartney-esque folk-pop tune), Powys 1999 remains a cathartic dance album at heart, one that, again, delivers solidly crafted songs. ~ Marcy Donelson