Stateless

Having recently supported tours for Kosheen and DJ Shadow, Leeds’ Stateless have released their first album on !K7. Harkening back to Entroducing, Kid A and Never, Never Land, their self-titled album is a refreshing blend of cool textures and sorrowful yearning amidst raw, broken beats and atmospheric crackling. Chris James, who fronts the group on vocals, guitars and keys, worked on two tracks with Shadow on last year’s The Outsider. Ably assisted by DJ/producer Kidkanevil on assorted sampling and turntablism, Rod Dunlop on FX and programming, Justin Percival on bass and vocals, and David Levin on drums, they generate a melancholic intensity with a consistent balance of natural harmonies and electronic glitches. The diverse tracks, from achingly beautiful ballad "Down Here” to the funk-driven "Radiokiller” or soulful "Prism #1,” are held together by a continual thematic sadness. Despite underlying despair there is something curiously uplifting and surprising about this group, which is worth investigating.