Here we are. It may be worth pointing out that last time My Bloody Valentine released music of any kind I was a year old; a lot of the staff here weren’t even alive. I haven’t been waiting for over two decades like most people. But I, like many, had been looking forward to February 2, 2013 for so long that I had almost become numb to it. There were those amongst the BPM ranks (myself included) who believed that the mythical follow-up to Loveless was just Kevin Shields’ excuse to tour again, and toy with our emotions.
The already-mythic m b v almost broke the internet. But now that everyone who wants a copy has one, the swooning/bitching/analysis can begin. “new you” is perhaps the most accessible track on the album, and it’s also an instant highlight. It cuts the baby in half, venturing beyond the genre that My Bloody Valentine practically invented while retaining many of their earmarks. There are two disctinct layers: the shuddering reverb-laden guitars, which are complimented magnificently by Bilinda Butcher’s ageless voice, and the incessant post-punk influenced thwack of the rhythm section. They rub against each other on occasion, most notably when Butcher coos wordlessly, but the wall of separation persists. “Something comes and pins me to the sky,” Butcher observes. For a band whose words and music are often a struggle to pick apart, this one hits with piercing clarity.
