The fatal flaw in Alt-J's 2014 album This Is All Yours was its general lack of coherence; good songs were drowned out by unnecessary additions, and the whole thing felt overstuffed and unjustifiably long. At just eight tracks, Relaxer scales things back, and it finds Alt-J at their most refined and concise.
There are some missteps and dull moments, but ultimately the album is a return to form that pushes new boundaries while still maintaining the sounds that captivated audiences on their debut, An Awesome Wave. Although devoted fans may feel ripped off by the short track list, most tracks extend beyond five minutes, with dynamic production ensuring these longer offerings keep up their momentum.
Opener 3WW is a meditative treat, with a feature from Wolf Alice's Ellie Rowsell adding warmth to the track's steady, focused tread. The folky Adeline picks up this delicate thread later on, with a cinematic slow-burn that builds towards an electrifying crescendo. Alt-J also excel when they speed things up - Deadcrush captures the same magic found in Fitzpleasure or Every Other Freckle with exhilarating vocals and an infectious, shuffling beat.
The album reaches for grandeur and complexity in every track but several moments feel rather muddled. In Cold Blood struggles to launch beyond anything more than a rewrite of Breezeblocks, while Hit Me Like That Snare is a sensory overload that calls to mind the aggression of MIA's polarising album MAYA.
