It’s been a period of upheaval for Kerala Dust, losing Harvey Grant on keys (who I referred to as their ‘MVP’ in my write up of their last record, Violet Drive – #7 in 2023). Grant’s departure left a big enough hole that they replaced him with not one but two new members. The reconfigured four piece then went out on a huge tour and so recorded An Echo of Love while on the road, studio hopping across the globe. The result is much more coherent and focused than one might expect. It’s subtly different to its predecessor but plays in the same sandpit. Kerala Dust here draw on a similar range of influences: krautrock, electronica, dance, indie, americana and blues. And Edmund Kelly’s distinctive drawl remains at the centre of everything. That said, An Echo of Love feels bolder, and larger in scope. It’s also rather more up-tempo. The driving force here is the beats: smoky basement blues dialled down, and shiny dance floor dialled up. This record took time to grow on me, but I found I kept coming back to it, and in the last few months of the year it climbed from the fringes of my List thinking to another top 10 placing. An impressive navigation through all that change.