Whisper it quietly, Ash are growing up. Before the alarm bells start ringing and you find your hand sub-consciously lunging out for the nearest Symposium album - do not panic. The verve and vigour of 1977 has not suddenly been devoured by a prog-rock monster clad in tweed. Ash are still the same vibrant, exuberant punk rockers of old, but the shock of becoming overnight pop sensations has worn off and they are revelling in their new-found freedom.
Nu-Clear Sounds is the icing on your favourite cake - the layer of protective polish on the treasured oak beam that was in danger of crumbling in on itself. Follow-up to first album, 1977 make no mistake, Ash were the bright young stars that could so easily have burned themselves out. Instead they are shimmering more radiantly than ever before and in new-(ish) recruit Charlotte Hatherley they have a woman to keep them in check when the wheel nuts begin to loosen.
“Projects” is the kind of fiery opener you would expect from the Irish upstarts, Nirvana-like riff and squealing solo, with Charlotte’s guitar-playing a welcome addition. “Low Ebb” is exactly that. A sombre rock ballad where “darkness has enveloped your heart and stole the lustre from your eyes” - not recommended if you are looking to start the day with a spring in your step.
Surf rock singalongs “Jesus Says” and “Wild Surf”, on the other hand, will propel you out of bed with an unbridled energy and hurl you down the stairs four at a time. The latter is crammed with intriguing vocal key changes that prevent it from turning into “What’s in a Kiss”. New recruit Charlotte Hatherley adds an extra dimension to the album.
The new-found maturity of Tim Wheeler is never better expressed than in “Folk Song”, quite simply his most beautiful work to date. For 4 mins 55 secs you lie alongside him in the “long, long grass”, admiring the “blossom on the trees” and “the clouds drifting by”. It is only matched by the dreamy conclusion that is “I’m Gonna Fall”.
But if you want pure, unbridled energy try the brainstorming “Numbskull”, the Iggy Pop-style rantings of “Fortune Teller” or “Death Trip 21” - where Tim raps over mad guitars and wailing banshees more akin to the Chemical Brothers. Yes, this is an album that will blow your socks off one minute and tenderly ease them back on the next, an album that is as diverse as it is rewarding. Ash may have grown older and wiser, but the twinkle in their eyes is omnipresent.