Music
Five reasons why Enter Shikari’s new album is the perfect tour warm-up
The wait is over, and a little earlier than anticipated, as Enter Shikari share a stream for their new album online.
The St Albans four-piece have gone some way to settle the excitement in the stomachs of fans, by unleashing The Mindsweep ahead of its official release on 19 January.
Not so surprisingly, it takes approximately 30 seconds for your goosebumps to confirm it is, indeed, brilliant. Why, you ask? Well, we’ve got five whole reasons why…
1. “I hope it makes your Tympanic Membrane vibrate and your neurons fire like nothing else before,” declared frontman Rou Reynolds. He’s not far wrong as opener The Appeal and The Mindseep I rattles your noggin in typical Shikari style.
2. It’s more diverse than anything they’ve done before. While there’s all the dub drops and rock riffs of previous records, The Mindsweep sees Shikari explore uplifting lyricism, raw aggression and more electro moments you’d dare to dream of.
3. Anaesthetist is officially the most fun anyone’s ever had when singing about the NHS. After debuting the new track at Reading and Leeds last year, the band demonstrates how to take a big synth approach to dealing with the even bigger issues on the album.
4. Never Let Go of the Microscope is everything that’s great about The Mindsweep’s unique sound. Not the biggest track on the release, but where their new sound seems to come together. Slow and steady to start, it builds crisp vocals and gentle jungle beats into an explosion of passion and synths. Myopia carries the momentum, with dub drops that make you feel like you’re standing on the edge of a cliff drop.
5. Judging by the passion they’ve poured into The Mindsweep, Enter Shikari will go all out on tour in Feb. Relentless, thought-provoking and ambitious, the bar has been set for the foursome to deliver this massive sound on a live stage. Luckily, there’s just no doubting them.
Catch Enter Shikari on tour in the UK this February. Full dates:
16 Feb – Portsmouth Pyramids
17 Feb – Cardiff University Students Union
18 Feb – Wolverhampton Civic Hall
20 Feb – Manchester Academy
21 Feb – Glasgow Barrowland
22 Feb – Middlesbrough Town Hall
24 Feb – Cambridge Corn Exchange
25 Feb – Norwich Nick Ryans LCR UEA
26 & 27 Feb – London Roundhouse
Get tickets for Enter Shikari’s 2015 UK tour today – will you be there?
