Close your eyes, rewind your mind to a few years ago, and recapture that revelatory moment that you heardDisclosure’s inspired music for the first time. Your introduction to the fraternal London-based house tandem of Guy and Howard Lawrence likely came just shy of three years ago when you first heard the dazzling single “Latch.” It was also your first taste of the precociously talented then-20 year-old crooner Sam Smith, whose career has been in non-stop ascension mode ever since. And if you’re like me, your ears were blown wide open by the heavenly track, as your faith in the power of music to stroke your soul and shake your spirit was instantly restored.

“Latch” was followed a few months later by the euphoria-filled, Mercury Prize-nominated debut long player Settle, which affirmed the Lawrence brothers’ penchant for crafting irresistibly addictive dancefloor bangers of the highest quality. Blessed by an impressive crop of collaborators including Jessie Ware, London Grammar, Eliza Doolittle andAlunaGeorge, Settle contains nary a throwaway tune and stands as one of the most thrilling LPs released this century thus far.

So when Disclosure revealed plans for their follow-up album earlier this year, most of their devoted fans surely expected the group to pick up precisely where the adrenaline-fueled Settle left off two years ago. And while the group’s proven template of polished, soul-infused house grooves remains generally intact on Caracal, their sophomore effort is executed with a noticeably more tempered pace and subdued energy than its precursor. If Settle is the fire that burns brightly across the dancefloor for the entire duration of your hedonistic night out, Caracal is more akin to the flickering flame that signals the inevitable winding down of your evening. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it reinforces the Lawrences’ versatility in going hard and playing it soft.

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