{"id":70426,"date":"2018-10-04T16:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-10-04T15:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=70426"},"modified":"2023-01-18T21:07:26","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T21:07:26","slug":"review-the-xcerts-late-one-night-ep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-the-xcerts-late-one-night-ep\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The Xcerts – Late One Night EP"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LateAt the start of this year, The Xcerts<\/strong> <\/a>released ‘Hold On To Your Heart’<\/a>, an album that prided itself on delivering summery, heartfelt hooks. Now as the dark nights draw in, the trio have taken five cuts from ‘HOTYH’<\/i> and give them the stripped-back treatment.<\/p>\n

Recorded in one night, hence the title, this five-song set has a comforting organic feel compared to its radiant counterparts. ‘Daydream’<\/em> eases in with intimacy and warmth as Murray Macleod’s words are hushed rather than sung out loud. It’s a credit of\u00a0Macleod’s songwriting to be able to\u00a0turn songs such as ‘Daydream’<\/em>,\u00a0‘Feels Like Falling In Love’<\/em>\u00a0and ‘Hold on to Your Heart’<\/em> from adrenaline-rushing anthems into compassionate and bittersweet gems.<\/p>\n

Soft acoustic guitars on\u00a0‘Feels Like Falling In Love’<\/em> allow Macleod’s words to be honed in delicately. Whereas\u00a0‘Hold on to Your Heart’<\/em>\u00a0 is truly stripped back with a simple drum beat, twinkling guitar strums and Macleod’s vocals. It sums up the overall tone of the EP; wholesome yet impressionable.<\/p>\n

Admittedly on first listen, the inclusion of ‘Cry’<\/em> and ‘The Dark’<\/em> is questionable. Both were already pretty stripped back yet the intimate environment that threads ‘Late One Night’<\/em> together fits them perfectly. Macleod’s fragile vocals and slow pace are compelling. ‘Cry’<\/em> especially pulls at the heartstrings.<\/p>\n