Disclosure – Tenderly / Flow

Label: Make Mine

Tenderly

Flow

Guy and Howard Lawrence, aka UK duo Disclosure, have been firm White Noise favourites since their emergence last year, and since I last covered them in an Artist Spotlight feature, it looks like they’ve been continuing to exceed expectations. Although almost unbearably young, on their second 12” release the pair has upped their game once again, producing a pair of exuberant and polished tracks and steaming ahead of the UK bass crowd.

Getting straight down to business, it’s clear that these are Disclosure’s slickest and most mature productions to date, but they continue to craft their compositions with the same broad palette. You won’t be surprised to hear emotive, finely wrought vocals pushing ahead of bouncing, hyper-active synthwork and skipping, barely-there percussion. Although you may have heard these base elements before, here the final result is more accomplished and club-ready, as can be heard on the first track of the double A-side, Tenderly. A fantastic vocal line (“There’s something about you / you just give me that feeling”) builds to the energetic release of big, bright synth chords, while a second layer of deep vocal grunts accent the sound along with low-key percussive touches. Although they always do their vocals and basslines well, it’s always Disclosure’s synthwork that stands out; bristling with pent-up energy and a sincere sense of fun, perfect for any dancefloor in need of a shot of energy.

The flipside is just as strong, building more slowly through a warm ambient hum and rising vocal snippets to an ecastatic payoff, with bright synth stabs contrasting with a rolling melodic line. The vocal sample here commands more attention, demanding the listener ‘get on the floor / move your body’ with a voice dripping with breathy need.  The breakdown is a complex synth sequence perfectly complimented by big classic-House cry, before the tune bursts  back into life, leaving Flow perhaps Disclosure’s strongest composition to date. The two tunes on offer are admittedly not worlds apart, and it’d be nice to see Disclosure venture a little further from their established sound on their next release, but when the tunes are as excellent as Tenderly and Flow, it’s really hard to complain; the boys really knocked the ball right out of the park on this release.

8/10