With an unpredictable string of collaborations and genre experiments for a catalog, you might expect Routes, the debut album by London trio LV, to have an inborn hyperactivity. Last year’s 38 EP (with Joshua Idehen, who features here) and Boomslang/Zharp single (with Okmalumkoolkat) showed major strides in their development, honing an array of influences into production tailored specifically for their vocalists. But neither really hinted at the perfectly formed statement on display on their debut album, Routes.
As others have pointed out, Routes is a London album, but you don’t need to have been there to recognize it. The cheeky “Northern Line” is about the stops on that subway line, while the more subdued “Murkish Delights” melds neighborhood-specific references with an overarching generational malaise: “Twenty-first century… now hands up if you give a shit.” Idehen is a charismatic, witty MC, and though the city’s energy courses through his lyrics, the persistent locality never alienates. Idehen’s vocals appear on every track, but LV often use them sparingly, frequently chopping them up for use as rhythmic elements. Their deftness in doing so keeps Routes an entertaining listen, as it’s never weighed down by vocals that don’t quite fit. The tracks incorporate a strong African backbone, most prominently derived from kwaito and South African house, but hybridize those variations on syncopated, slowed-down garage with elements of R&B, UK funky, and dub.
Opening track “I Know” begins tentatively, with Idehen half-singing, “I know/next move is up to me now,” before it launches into a buoyantly swung workout accentuated by synth squiggles and a playful bass line. As his moody opening words are left behind, Idehen ad-libs “you’re not smiling,” which is kind of shameless but ultimately difficult to resist. As relentlessly fun as many of the tracks are, LV often work with complicated rhythmic arrangements, and on the rare occasions when everything becomes too intense, Idehen always seems to be there with a line to tie everything together. A similar moment happens on the strutting “Melt.” It isn’t clear that Idehen’s autobiographical early lyrics are building to anything, but after a breakdown and his repeated insistence “[I] make do with the hands I’m dealt,” it begins to take shape. Eventually the hook comes, as he repeatedly asks “can y’ear man?” over airy, droning, tones and a wobbly, metallic synth line. It feels heavy, but it’s contextually slight, as the group’s small gestures really make all the difference.
After the brief “Primary Colours,” which sounds a bit like Shed dabbling with vocals and G-funk lines, things become more resigned and somber. Routes begins with energetic street music, but on the closing sequence it gets disillusioned and slowly makes its way inside. The final tracks range from dazed R&B on “Deleted Scene” to the comparatively grim narratives “Past Tense” and “Murkish Delights.” Closer “Last Night” is sparse and fragile, with Idehen repeating “Last night I felt real precious in your arms” as it fades to black. It’s a perfect conclusion for a marvelously sequenced album, cinematic but wholly relatable. Routes is an immersive achievement, brimming with personality. For all their restlessness, LV know exactly what a full-length should be.
