Album Review: Arab Strap - As Days Get Darker

Released on 5th March 2021, Arab straps newest album As Days Get Darker is a compilation of spoken-word dark tracks, each with its own unique glare, and definitely not suitable for children. Every minute of the 47-minute run time feels unique, and well worth the 16 years wait since their last album.

The album opens with ‘The Turning of our Bones’ a scene setter for the mature themes and monotoned base beat that will continue throughout the collection. It is not often that you will hear an album start with the all too clear lyrics of “I don’t give a fuck about the past, or glory days gone by”; you probably cannot listen to this album on the school run.

Tracks like ‘Bluebird’ and ‘Another Clockwork Day’ have a totally different mood from the first track, with an acoustic backing, and the spoken word forming a story-like commentary before breaking into a poetical chorus. It is as if Aidan Moffat is just having a conversation with you, telling you about a love lost and a day in his life, asking in ‘Another Clockwork Day’ “what the fuck was that about”, you could just be having a chat at a bus stop, if it were not for the rhythmic guitar in the back.

For the alternative-rock fans out there, ‘Compersion, Pt 1’ may be the track for you. With a kick drum and great drops throughout, this track emulates that feeling of joy associated with seeing one you adore, in love with another, in a contrast with jealousy.

‘Tears on Tour’ brings you right back down to a calm state of mind, with tickled ivories and deep synth providing a serene backdrop to lyrics that are almost overshadowed by their accompaniment. As the song moves on, you are brought back into a conversation with Moffat.

As the longest track on the album, ‘Sleeper’, provides a holistic experience for the listener. The first time listening to this song, without knowing what you are in for, how long will it take you to figure out the topic of this track? From repetitive rhythmic guitar to the choice lyrics, the singer songwriter uses his lexicon to connote themes of rail travel and more precisely sleeper trains – a feat in itself and something that should belong in a playground song. And yet, no one could deny the mastery behind this 6-minute track.

As Days Get Darker is perhaps best described as a journey through the potentially melancholy and certainly complex brain of Moffat. A rhythmic heartbeat ties together the emotive and complex lyricism of the band, making this album a great start to 2021 and an even better return for Arab Strap.

Words: Emma Bailey