GYMNAST

It’s been a couple of years since Manchester’s Gymnast released their acclaimed debut album, Wild Fleet. In the intervening period they’ve been in New York, writing, recording, refining and preparing a new EP. The recently shared ‘Young Blood’ suggests this was time very well spent indeed.

The geographical idiosyncrasies of their adopted home appear to have had an influence on the duo of Cathy Wilcock and Chris Lyon, while the industrial heritage of their roots remains in place.

Futuristic, neon synths ride gracefully through a nighttime cityscape. High-rise buildings tower above as the light of the traffic slices through the streets. Cinematic and atmospheric, the vocals wisp up like steam venting from the underground, reaching up and swirling into the darkness above.

There’s an almost dystopian undercurrent, a subtle sci-fi reference point running throughout while the sharp, digital beats snap into life like the pulse of this metropolitan soundscape.

Smooth, elegant and delightful, ‘Young Blood‘ is a fantastic (re)introduction to Gymnast.

Words by Adam from Alphabet Bands

Tipped by Tim Dickinson from The Blue Walrus