Patrick Wolf : Brumalia EP

Patrick Wolf slides back into the limelight with this, his brand new eight-track EP. Brumalia is an extension of his most recent album, Lupercalia.Here, Wolf branches out with new sounds, sidesteps and detours merging comfortably with those hallmarks that helped make Lupercalia brilliant. Brumalia indulges in grandiose melodrama, embracing wild gestures and unabashed fl amboyancy.

The expert articulation of Wolf’s string ensemble continually prevails to gift the EP an enchanting flare. Notably, Wolf’s endeavours adopt a diff erent stance this time around. The release draws inspiration from the “bleakness and melancholy of England in the winter months”, according to the singer-songwriter. It shows: Brumalia excels in overthrowing much of the blatant optimism of Lupercalia, less infatuated with pop and more preoccupied with an intriguing tension. Jerusalem off ers a unique interlude, the age-old hymn stripped to its tender core. Meanwhile, the spaced-out Nemoralia emerges an oddity for its mechanical haze, parts and pieces clicking into place with industrial precision.

The leading track, however - Together - stakes its claim as the standout, its shimmering electronica laid beneath lush orchestration to form an epic apologetic gesture. Brumalia, as with Lupercalia, serves to illustrate an artist at the peak of his career. The EP emerges an engrossing companion to Wolf’s finest work yet, strong in its own right.

BY NICK MASON

Best Track: Together

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In A Word: Enchanting