Universal high

"Childhood's 2014 debut album Lacuna bore the psych-indie-pop, Stone Roses-lite hallmarks of that moment, as shared by artists such as Peace, Swim Deep and Gengahr to name but a few. Fast forward three years and - similarly to Birmingham's Superfood - the Brixton five-piece are less aligned with specific trends, and are instead playfully tapping into old-school pop and retro soul for a free and pleasingly experimental follow-up, recorded in Atlanta ... While there's still room to push it further, Childhood are clearly coming of age".

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"Childhood frontman Ben Romans-Hopcraft apparently recently discovered, and then wholly adopted, soul music as the chief inspiration for his band's sophomore LP, Universal High ... Add to it that the band went to Atlanta to record, so as to better soak up the spirit of Southern soul. All are perfectly acceptable and chart-friendly moves. Childish Gambino took his Funkadelic riff "Redbone" to the top of the R&B charts, after all. But when a record is solely defined by its influences, as Universal High is, it's also difficult to find anything new to absorb from it".

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