Reinvention in music can be an interesting thing. If it’s done well you can go down the Madonna and Bowie route, however the pitfalls are all there to see. Losing your core audience and being dropped by your label being just two of many. The Long Blondes comeback single ‘Century’, taken from their second LP “Couples”, sees Erol Alkan take up production duties with a new direction seemingly the order of the day from the Sheffield band.

‘Century’ is a departure for The Long Blondes on the back of their 2006 debut. Alkan brings schizophrenic Depeche Mode-esq beats whilst Kate Jackson’s straight vocal delivery hints a falsetto Blondie influence. However, ‘Century’ never really gets going. Its plodding tempo never threatens you to hit the repeat button and doesn’t arrive at what it initially promises. At points you wonder if it’s going to break out to the Boosh’s ‘Electro Boy’, complete with retro 80s synths. The throwaway lyrics fail to offer inspiration in this underwhelming effort despite the squeaky clean production.

Whilst the reinvention may not harm The Long Blondes in the long-term, ‘Century’ probably wasn’t the best choice as the lead single from their forthcoming LP. It may be ambitious, but it ultimately lacks substance.