Hysterical

Five years is a long time by anyone’s standards. In music, it’s practically an eternity. But after a self-imposed hiatus – described as a fact-finding mission for their true identity – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah returned with their most assured, polished set of songs to date. Still defiantly independent, the five-piece formed around Alec Ounsworth released Hysterical, their third album, themselves, and the record proved there was far more substance to the band than ramshackle charm and quirky indie singalongs. From the off, Hysterical sounds glorious, all gorgeous melodies, warm synth washes, and bright, strummed guitars. Produced by John Congleton, the record is shot through with clever, twinkling details; soft Mellotron, brassy horns, crisp snare hits. Shedding their more idiosyncratic tendencies gave the music a more immediate likeability and pointed towards a hitherto hidden ambition – Hysterical is soothing and anthemic in a way that few bands achieve. Soaring, emotional indie rock that’s both accessible and acclaimed is not easy to do, yet the album positioned Ounsworth & co. as being masters at both. Perhaps it was maturity, perhaps it was just processing all that hype and the barrage of unrealistic expectation, but Hysterical was a triumph, and proved that the band’s time away was very well spent indeed.