Raf Rundell: O.M. Days (Colored Vinyl)

Colored Vinyl. Raf Rundell's immense second album, O.M. Days has been a long journey. After years of working as a DJ, he formed the dance-pop outfit The 2 Bears with Hot Chip's Joe Goddard. This was followed by the mini-album The Adventures of Selfie Boy Pt. 1 (2016) and his full length debut album Stop Lying (2018). O.M. Days features a string of collaborators including Chaz Jankel from the Blockheads, R&B and soul singer-songwriter Terri Walker and the inspired social and political commentators Man & The Echo. From the good-time dance anthem Monsterpiece to the soulful soaring immortal classic I'm Always Fly or the open-eyed moment-capturing acoustic hymn The Ides of Albion, this is a rich, hugely confident, and highly accessible album. It is a record that manages to be both joyful and wise - a rare combination indeed, and exactly what we need right now.