After playing over 200 shows in support of 2012’s Celebration Rock, Brian King and David Prowse’s three-year hiatus and almost total radio silence seemed to signal that they might not return at all. Given time to stretch those aching muscles, though, there’s little doubting their ability to deliver on this newfound ambition.For a band that came to prominence on the back of two raucous and in-your-face albums, Japandroids have always had a knack for self-reflection. While Japandroids have always walked a tightrope between classic rock and straight-up punk, ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’ finds their footing wobbling for the first time. By contrast, though, the seven-minute-plus ‘Arc Of Bar’ is perfectly paced, the extra breathing room instead allowing Japandroids to experiment with structure and new instrumentation, an almost Muse-esque buzzsaw synth cutting through their high-gain guitar sludge. The tongue-twisting titles of ‘True Love And A Free Life Of Free Will’ and ‘I’m Sorry (For Not Finding You Sooner)’ aren’t the only thing that lacks focus, their slow-building one-two quickly sagging into a plod towards the finish line. There are moments where this new mindset backfires. The soaring, stunning conclusion of ‘Midnight To Morning’ finds the pair trading off each other like never before, while ‘No Known Drink Or Drug’ has them employing a swooping new sense of melody amongst the fuzz. Where before their guitars were shredded up night after night, this time around they’re given space to swell. ‘North East South West’ is the best marker of that new, considered route. On the whole though, their first release in four years finds the desert drag-racing duo letting off the gas a little. ‘Near To The Wild Heart Of Life’ – the long-awaited follow-up to their boundary-breaking ‘Celebration Rock’ – opens in fitting fashion, its title track a fist-pumping, er, celebration of the ‘fired up’, unifying fun-factor that’s made Japandroids the poster-boys for life-affirming modern rock ‘n’ roll.
After years in hiding, you could forgive Japandroids for thrashing their way back into view.
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