I took a *well deserved* holiday last week and annoyingly managed to miss the reveal of This Haze by Manchester’s Patterns. I’m as emotionally connected to Patterns as you can be, having watched them develop over the years into a band with identity, ideas and vastly improved songcraft. Its always felt to me that Manchester nurtures artists in a way that London never could, allowing them the freedom to exist without being surrounding in industry bullshit. Patterns now have a collection of songs to rival any band, with influences ranging from Animal Collective to the anthemic drone pop of Deerhunter, displayed so beautifully in Blood.

This Haze is more reflective than we’ve heard before, more refined in its intimacy. Ciaran McAuley’s vocals breaking through a shimmering kaleidoscopic skyline. Its been a long wait for debut album ‘Waking Lines’… and I’m kinda pleased about that. It means they’ve managed to traverse the hype and actually create something they are proud of, so kudos to Melodic for being patient. I know it won’t be anything other than a triumph.

Released 6th January 2014
Pre-Order here: www.melodic.co.uk/wakinglinespreorder

https://www.facebook.com/musicalpatterns

Phill Young