Ultimately, Night Call is a brilliantly bold Electro-Pop record that finds Alexander embracing the sounds he’s always wanted to create. Saying this, it’s a cohesive project that sticks to Alexander’s clear vision and begs to dominate its own dedicated club night. Whilst there are no traditional ballads per se, there’s plenty of more gentle simmers populating the back half of the record, ‘Make It Out Alive’ shimmers like the early sounds of CHVRCHES, whilst there’s a wistful mysteriousness floating alongside Alexander’s fluctuating vocals on ‘Strange and Unusual’. There’s a slight criticism of a lack of variety by the time the album reaches its conclusion, especially with its strongest moments dominating the first half. Meanwhile ‘20 Minutes’ is dedicated to a fleeting and fiery liaison featuring Alexander delicately yearning over the power ballad’s chorus. The pop hit is as sticky sweet as the name suggests. On ‘Sweet Talker’ the Swedish production duo Galantis inject a shimmering spiral staircase of synths that delightfully trickle down your spine like treacle. The album truly excels with its brilliant centrepiece pairing of the sublime Galantis collaboration ‘Sweet Talker’ and the likewise excellent ‘20 Minutes’. Whilst lyrically, the record tends to stick to its theme of after-hours connections, melodically, there’s a diverse selection of electronica and pop that consistently thrills in new and exciting ways. ![]() There’s a smooth and slinky groove to the sensual synths of ‘Crave’ whilst on ‘Intimacy’ Alexander sings ‘come here, come closer, let me tie you to a four poster’. ![]() If the opening tracks demonstrate desire, then the rest of the album is all about the passion and lust that follows the initial chase. Title track ‘Night Call’ echoes Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ with its percussion practically demanding limb rotations. That feverous electricity surges through the album, lead single ‘Starstruck’ remains a killer pop track that perfectly channels the joy of infatuation. It’s a hook-up anthem through and through, and Alexander is swooning over the chorus in delight. Synths pulse like an increasing heartbeat, excited at the prospect of a dangerous liaison that can only end in heartbreak. Take ‘Sooner Or Later’ for example, it’s brimming with the sexual tension of bodies packed up against each other in a nightclub, the feeling of two people exchanging glances across the dancefloor. There’s a boldness and confidence in Alexander’s sexually charged songwriting and melodies that previously he hadn’t embraced. The record is full of wall to wall disco-tinged pop bangers, there’s a homage to now frequent collaborator Kylie Minoque, intimacy and sensuality akin to Jessie Ware’s delightful ‘What’s Your Pleasure’ and even a delightful electro-funk groove in the guise of opener ‘Consequences’ which wouldn’t feel amiss on Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’. Speaking recently with The Guardian, Alexander said “All I wanted to make was uptempo music you could dance to in a club” and he’s absolutely spot on. Sonically, it isn’t too much of a drastic departure from the indie-pop Years & Years are known for, crucially, however, it is bursting with a bright disco sheen. ![]() That brings us to ‘Night Call’ which in essence, feels much more like the music Alexander has always wanted to make. Finally, Alexander closed out the year with a spectacular display for the BBC’s annual New Year's Eve concert. His cover of the Pet Shop Boys track from which the show takes its name (performed with Elton John) was a showstopper at last years BRITs awards. He wowed audiences with a critically acclaimed performance in the incredible and moving drama, It’s A Sin, in which he played a young gay man during the height of the AIDs epidemic in London. This past year has fittingly seen Alexander blossom into his own star due to a triumphant return to his acting roots. Originally joining the band as they searched for a lead vocalist, Olly Alexander has since adopted the moniker for himself as a solo artist, following the amicable departure of bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen last year. It’s been a decade since the first Years & Years single.
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