London-based electronic quartet, Rudimental, have been big names in the UK since they emerged, seemingly from nowhere, with the chart-topping ‘Feel the Love’. Three years on from that success, and with one Mercury-nominated album to their name, their second album, We the Generation, has arrived.

The group has grown a large following in the intervening years, although they’re yet to enjoy wide appeal in the U.S., where they’ll be touring from next week. It is questionable whether this latest offering will seal the deal for Rudimental with regards to international renown. For one thing, excluding a notable collaboration with the late Bobby Womack, the majority of the vocalists featured are British. More importantly, though, despite asserting that the new album embraces a greater influence from soul and folk music, to my ear the formula seems pretty much unchanged. At its heart, We the Generation, like Home before it, draws influence from the same mix of genres; RnB vocals combined with high tempo, high energy dance music.

That, by itself, is no bad thing, but certain songs felt a bit too familiar; the opening of ‘Rumour Mill’, for example, felt immediately reminiscent of their first ever single, ‘Spoons’. On the other hand, certain resemblances were very welcome. Rudimental’s regular use of a strong brass section gives a distinctive lift and punch to their music, and if anything the brass in We the Generation is more prevalent and has greater freedom than in their last album – it is used to particularly great effect in the title track.

If there has been one consistent difference between this album and the last, it seems that Rudimental are that bit more comfortable at a slower pace; the songs already mentioned are fairly steady throughout, while in others, such as ‘I Will For Love’, there is a significant contrast between the high octane choruses and the slower paced, steadily building verses.

I wonder how influential other electronic artists have been in this album’s composition. The variety of synth sounds in ‘Rumour Mill’, for example, seem reminiscent of Clean Bandit’s ‘Stronger’ and ‘Rather Be’. Direct influence or not, Rudimental seem to be following a wider trend towards more relaxed electronic music, with the rising popularity of deep house in particular, and their more chilled out tracks have a lot of appeal.

Overall, though, I can’t help feeling that their strongest piece, ‘Never Let You Go’, is the one that in fact remains within the group’s tried-and-tested paradigm. Maybe it is more soulful, helped by a strong vocal from Foy Vance, but it’s the high-octane, drum and bass choruses that are the most enthralling, and which hold the same kind of high-energy force as the group’s most popular releases in the past. There are some signs of movement in a new musical direction; but there’s certainly enough recognisable, high-tempo material in We the Generation that, if you liked Rudimental before, you’re bound to enjoy in their latest offering.

@bret_cameron