We are rapidly coming to the point in the calendar year when people seriously start thinking about what their favourite music releases have been during the last twelve months. If someone were to ask me to single out just one album which I have loved. I would have no hesitation in making my choice. It goes to “Palo Santo” by Years & Years. As much as the music is gleaming, soulful and more often than not fuelled by skittering dance beats. The band, but most predominantly frontman Olly Alexander has been eager to give this sophomore album campaign a strong visual concept. Carrying it through from single to single. The track “All For You” emerged as the last teaser before the album “Palo Santo” dropped in July. It wasn’t very clear if the boppiest track on the album was a bona fide single or not. I had hazard a guess it was not the case. Although, as the band began to close out their productive summer festival season the “Palo Santo” visual teasers began to surface again.
Much as the same with previous singles “Sanctify” and “If You’re Over Me,” the third visual chapter from “Palo Santo” transports us to Olly’s fictional, dystopian future world. Where human beings are a rare commodity, worshiped and idolized by an android society. If you’ve been paying attention to the finer details of the story, you might remember at the end of the last video for “If You’re Over Me” we were left in the company of a voice-over from Dame Judy Dench, reciting these commanding words”Midnight approaches, embrace the dark.”
Quite a big hint in there, I feel with regards to what was to come next. If we wanted more of Olly dancing, we got what we hoped for in the latest video installment. When you think about it, it was probably on the cards all along, at risk of repeating myself, but I’ll nonetheless reiterate the fact. “All For You” stands as the boppiest track on the album. Not only is it a good choice to dance to but as Olly is keen to show us, the energetic vibe of the track suitably lends itself to a duel playing out between good versus evil. When Olly turns on his dark side he’s less a dancer more than he is seen wrestling with a newly commissioned android. As the clip pans out, the two fantasy figures are locked in a face-off. Again, leaving fans eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the story.
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