Wigan’s indie janglers The Lathums are back with their sophomore album ‘From Nothing To A Little Bit More’ and there’s plenty to like about it. Despite the departure of bassist Johnny Cunliffe, the group have produced an album which shows a natural evolution from their debut effort ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ without departing too far from the roots that made them one of the UK’s fastest-growing bands in 2021.
Much of The Lathums’ debut album’s charm – as the title might suggest – was sourced from its feel-good messaging, with tunes like ‘Oh My Love’ and ‘I Won’t’ Lie’ offering tender positivity for listeners to indulge on. This time, however, lead singer Alex Moore is navigating the flip side of those love-soaked feelings where ‘Struggle’ and ‘Turmoil’ become central themes.
‘Struggle’ is indeed the opening track on this record and with lines like “I notice the world’s turning but I’m stood still” and “They tell me that I will wind up dead if I continue the path that I’m on”, the band’s desire to pen a vulnerable ‘from the heart’ record is cemented in convincing style. Through dramatic choruses and flowing verses, Moore shows off his songwriting flair here, and on the next track ‘Say My Name’, it’s his wizardly friend and guitarist Scott Concepcion who takes the spotlight.
Simpler, but no less enjoyable songs, ‘I Know Pt 1’ and ‘Lucky Bean’ follow as The Lathums bring some swing-band fun to the party with swaying basslines complementing melodies you might expect from Frank Sinatra. These sunny numbers will bring joyous vibes to festivals across the summer, with ‘Lucky Bean’ in particular emerging as the happiest song of the entire project as Moore exercises gratitude in the face of diversity.
The fifth track, ‘Facets’, is a welcome change as it reintroduces the moodier sounds of ‘Circles of Faith’, ‘I See Your Ghost’ and ‘Artificial Screens’ which added some much-needed diversity to the debut album. This guitar-heavy number, like the aforementioned songs, adds a vital aspect to The Lathums’ personality by evoking aggression that contrasts perfectly with their lighter-shaded pop songs.
The next song ‘Rise and Fall’ lands all the better for it as its opening jangly riff promises something akin to the band’s biggest hits ‘Fight On’ and ‘The Great Escape’. It never quite reaches those heights but is nonetheless a fine indie pop effort which could well have been a single but for stiff competition like ‘Sad Face Baby’ – an undisputed foot-stomper which explodes as the record’s biggest banger at a perfect juncture in the tracklist.
What makes this album inferior to ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ is, however, how it closes out after the high-point of ‘Sad Face Baby’. ‘Turmoil’, although a single, emotional and sincere, comes off as an overly dramatic piano ballad that would maybe fit better in the West End. ‘Land and Sky’ is better, as it unleashes guitarist Scott Concepcion, but is maybe unlikely to be played live – mostly because of the quality of options now available to the band for their forthcoming live dates.
The same could be said for ‘Crying Out’, which is placed as the album’s penultimate track – a song first released in 2019 but re-recorded for this album. Its strong chorus “I’m crying out for someone like you” places it alongside some of The Lathums’ stronger songs, and it certainly fits the album thematically, but for listeners already aware of the song for the last few years, the idea to include it perhaps feels a touch unnecessary. Unnecessary also, is the artistic decision to make the closer ‘Undeserving’ eight minutes long, even if it does have some redeeming qualities.
Moore, with the pressure-free medium of an eight-minute track, sings almost therapeutically over his acoustic guitar to document every thought and emotion which contributed to the album’s broader themes. In concept, it’s a good idea, but without particularly strong melodies, a noticeable escalation in instrumentation or a satisfying climax, perhaps the album would be better served without it.
Nevertheless, this a very commendable second album which should take on a life of its own once performed live this summer.