Benefits - Nails (White Vinyl)

A BBC 6Music 'Album Of The Year'. Debut album from critically acclaimed Teesside agitators Benefits ""We could have released a record at any point over the last couple of years but held back because I wanted to wait until the right people came along,"" Hall says. Invada Records co-founder Geoff Barrow of Portishead was one of the many who'd been drawn to the music as it made waves online, and when he came to see the group perform live in his native Bristol was immediately hooked. His faith in the band has been repaid and then some, producing a record that not only confirms the group's brilliance, but also redefines what you thought was possible. It captures all of that validating rage that established them one of the most exciting acts in the country - skull crushing fan favourites 'Flag', 'Empire' and 'Meat Teeth' are all present and correct - but also pushes their sound into bold new territory, both sonically and emotionally.