The Lathums – ‘From Nothing To A Little Bit More’
Over the years, countless bands have fallen at the hurdle of their second album. It’s a true test of a band’s talent to see if they can add a powerful second series of songs to their collection or, instead, if they will be forgotten to the ether of rock and roll flops. There was big pressure resting on the shoulders of The Lathums following their debut album, How Beautiful Life Can Be, topping the charts, and 18 months later, they are back with From Nothing To A Little Bit More.
When you stumble upon a formula that works, why change it? For their second album, The Lathums have kept to their sound, albeit with some tweaks. Despite the magnificent production work by James Skelly on all of their material leading up to From Nothing To A Little Bit More, The Lathums decided to mix things up by opting to work with Jim Abiss at his studio in Cambridgeshire. Abiss’ credits include Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, and the first two albums from international pop star Adele. For The Lathums, it seemed a natural fit on paper, and this feeling is reaffirmed with the opening anthem, ‘Struggle’, which gets the album off on the front foot.
On the heartbreaking breakup song ‘Struggle’, vocalist Alex Moore is at his best when he strips back his emotions to their core. He passionately sings on the arena-sized chorus: “I notice the world’s turning but I’m stood still, And the voices inside of my head, Oh they tell me that I will wind up dead, If I continue the path that I’m on Oh I loved you, but you didn’t care, I needed you, but you was not there, And the world kicked back it forced me to my knees.”
Unsurprisingly, the aforementioned track was selected as a single, and it’s the strongest out of the four tracks that preceded the album’s release. ‘Sad Face Baby’ was the first song to be released and arrived before the festival season last year. Similarly to ‘Struggle’, it’s The Lathums expressing their fondness for a chorus designed for a mass singalong. The lead single ‘Say My Name’ is cut from the same cloth and injects bundles of energy into the early chapter of the album.
However, the momentum and fast-paced nature of From Nothing To A Little Bit More doesn’t run throughout the entirety of the album, as their softer side shines through. Likewise to their debut offering, The Lathums show they don’t solely trade in the anthem business, and on ‘I Know Pt 1’ and ‘Lucky Bean’, they blissfully channel The Beautiful South.
Slower moments sit side-by-side with the band’s heavier side, and at times, these two separate identities wrestle similarly to how they did on their debut. Perhaps, at a later stage in their career, both sides of The Lathums will get their chance to shine over an entire record without sharing the limelight.
On ‘Crying Out’, these two personality traits combine to create a slow-burning, roof-raising effort. The fan favourite was first released as a single almost four years ago but didn’t make it on their debut album is a welcomed inclusion on From Nothing To A Little Bit More, albeit slightly confusing.
The Lathums’ second album is an advancement upon their debut, with Moore’s songwriting a particularly noticeable area of improvement. As silly as it sounds, songs are the most important thing for bands. The Wigan natives have added strong depth to their collection with From Nothing To A Little Bit More, with eight-minute closer ‘Underserving’ expressing their risk-taking streak, which they don’t apply across the whole album. The four-piece unapologetically wants to be an arena-sized band, and they are certainly on course to achieve their objectives.
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