The Aussie Brit-pop enthusiasts' third full-length effort distills their unapologetic throwback style into something as pure as it can be, considering the already established sonic architecture, and delivers a confident and arena-worthy 11-song set with huge commercial aspirations. Awash in tightly sequenced beats and shimmery guitars with the chorus pedal glued down, Glow is as effervescent as it is carved from familiar materials, and is easily DMA's most engaging and smartly constructed outing to date. The LP commences with the earworm-stocked "Never Before," a summery two-chord standout that serves as a glowstick and neon wristband-strewn drawbridge connecting the baggy Stone Roses-like aesthetic of Hills End and For Now with the more flexible, electronica-laced modern rock that lies ahead. The title cut flirts with punk-pop, but does so with typical DMA's grandeur, eschewing the genre's penchant for pairing power chords and nasally ire in favor of mellifluous and unifying existential angst. The aptly-named "Life Is a Game of Changing" takes things even further, adding sumptuous layers of arpeggiated synths and swelling strings, resulting in something that feels more akin to EDM than it does the Kasabian-esque lad rock of the group's earlier works. Even at its seemingly mellowest, Glow aims its sights at the nosebleed seats, with late-album cell-phone-light waver "Learning Alive" and "Appointment" employing slow-burn balladry that yields mammoth crescendos. In swapping out some of the Mancunian swagger, DMA's seem to have unearthed a bit of their own. They're still mockingbirds, but what once felt derivative is now inching closer to vital.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo