IT’S taken Cherry Ghost three years to produce a follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut and whereas the early incarnation was little more than a nom de plume for singer Simon Aldred, Beneath This Burning Shoreline sees the band blossoming into a fully fledged unit.

This new collection of epic songs continually builds, adding rich anthemic textures over a surprising and almost skiffle-like rhythm, while addressing complex issues with a sensitive, sometimes hopeful, at other times dark, touch, of which My God Betrays is a fine example. There’s more than a hint of Elbow about Cherry Ghost, especially on opener We Sleep On Stones, but they have carved their own niche and this is an album of mini-plays, all thoughtfully crafted and majestic in their execution.

The first album was the work of an almost instantly mature band and the second takes them to loftier heights. Well worth the wait.

* Cherry Ghost play Fibbers, York, on October 2.