JAMES VINCENT McMORROW The Less I Knew HHHH Faction Records

• Published date: 24 June 2022

Given the lengthy missives that accompany each release explaining song themes and lyrics, it's not a huge stretch to assume that the thirtysomething Dubliner is an overthinker. Is he too cerebral for his own good sometimes, instead of just allowing his music to do the talking

Thankfully, The Less I Knew does just that. With just eight tracks, it's McMorrow's most concise record to date (his second set of eight songs, The Heavweight Champion of Dublin 8, is released in autumn.) There have been thrilling moments on previous albums, but this feels like a distillation of his craftsmanship as a songwriter and arguably the album that best sums him up.

As always his shtick has a soulfulness, from the slouchy groove of lead single Hurricane to the dazed, half-giddy late-night experimentation of closer A Lot to Take, a song that epitomises McMorrow's talent for sonic U-turns. Lighten Up similarly stitches a multitude of disparate elements together, borrowing from the smooth R&B of Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars's collaboration Silk Sonic and his own indie roots. He leaves room to...