The new Crystal Fighters album, Everything is my Family, was highly anticipated by fans. It’s been three long years since their last album, Cave Rave was released. The Guardian’s Paul Lester previously described Crystal Fighter’s music as “what would happen if you went back 100 years, dropped a load of recording equipment into a remote Basque village and left the villagers, steeped in folk music, to their own devices.” However, in this album, Crystal Fighters seem to step away slightly from their folk influences. They still make use of traditional instruments but overall, the tracks have more of a dance music style.

Everything is my Family features Crystal Fighters’ usual mix of happy mellow and upbeat tracks with simple, repetitive lyrics. However, I think the movement away from the Basque influence that was such a key element of their earlier music is slightly disappointing. On some tracks, like ‘Ways I Can’t Tell’, the band’s usual, distinctive sound is hardly there anymore.

The album opens with a reflective soliloquy, ‘Simplecito’, spoken in Spanish with an English translation after each line. The track advocates having a positive outlook on life, telling the listener that “if troubled times come, just embrace it”. This is perhaps a reference to the tragedy that struck the band in 2014: the death of their drummer, Andrea Marongiu.

Other notable tracks include ‘Moondog’, which has a choral element to it and by the end sounds either like a gospel choir or something form a Broadway musical. Also ‘Fly East’, which features some South-Asian style vocalisation.

Overall, the album is uplifting and easy to listen to and it’s always great for fans to see a band come through a difficult time and still produce great music. Although, for those listeners who have always enjoyed the folky element of Crystal Fighter’s music, Everything is my Family may be a slight disappointment.

Katie O’Kelly