UK band Strawhouses return with Time in the Light, their second album following 2010’s These Are The Willing. Released through Now Listen, the 10-track record brings together songs that have developed over many years, with the band taking a hands-on approach to the recording and funding the project themselves.
The album is also a good example of how far Strawhouses are willing to take a song idea. The subject matter ranges from historical events to deeply personal situations, with the band moving between intimate writing and much larger musical passages. Strings, trumpet, piano, synths and layered guitars all appear across the record, while Grammy Award-winning engineer Guy Massey handled the mix.
What makes the album particularly interesting, though, is the range of situations Strawhouses put into song. “Fireworks” looks towards WWI by drawing inspiration from war poetry. “No Other Way Round” tells the story of a relationship that ended because its two people were pursuing different ambitions. Later, “My Saving Grace” takes the form of a final love letter from a deathbed, while “The Last Day” imagines someone calmly walking through the streets at the end of the world.
There are plenty of musical changes along the way too. “Flickers” brings a dreamy atmosphere, while “Circling the Drain” is driven by meaty drum loops and an arrangement that barely draws breath. “Warships” and “Shards” add further changes as the album progresses, giving the second half its own character.
What stays with Time in the Light is the sense that Strawhouses aren’t limiting themselves to one kind of story. The album can move from a real historical conflict to a relationship, then from a deathbed farewell to an imagined apocalypse. That freedom gives the record plenty of personality and makes for an intriguing second album from a band continuing to explore what their songs can contain.
