Throwback Thursday: Disclosure 'Settle'

Image: Disclosure

2013 was an outstanding year for British music, with the Arctic Monkeys leading the charge. Across the pond we had Kanye West releasing Yeezus and the return of Eminem, with Daft Punk also back in the game alongside the emergence of both Lorde and Haim. There is however one album really stands above the rest as the defining album of the year, especially in the UK, Disclosure’s Settle. Stream it below.

Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence managed to create a monster of an album that is peppered with bangers, from AlunaGeorge’s contribution on ‘White Noise’ to Sam Smith’s vocals on everybody’s favourite, if somewhat overplayed song ‘Latch’. The album has helped shape how we see the modern sound of deep house today, setting the bar high for artists and DJs looking for that same crossover success.

As far as debuts go this really hit the nail on the head. 2013 was the year when a truer, house-focused sound began to rise above the EDM driven soundscapes of the David Guettas of this world, storming the charts as the duo helped get the ball rolling for the genre's mainstream resurgence. Settle also helped pave the way for others - AlunaGeorge, Smith and similar artists such as Gorgon City, who are arguably where they are today as a direct consequence.

One of the reasons behind the success of Disclosure’s debut album is down to the featured artists and their impeccable timing. Every artist on the record was about to blow up, and have subsequently gone on to greater things, Smith being the perfect example.

The singer's career really took off after ‘Latch’ was released late on in 2012, his debut In the Lonely Hour became the second best-selling UK album of 2014, his stature cemented with the theme to the latest James Bond film, Spectre.

It's a release that has no obvious filler too, each song is worthy in its own right. Tracks such as ‘Grab Her!’ and ‘Defeated No More’ may have slipped under the radar of the general public, but have become plenty of people's favourites.

Today ‘Settle’ stands very proudly on top of the dance music podium of 2013. You can still hear the faint thuds of ‘White Noise’ and ‘Latch’ being played at various nightclubs some two years since the release and the fact that clubs can still get away with playing records from that debut album is a grand achievement in itself.

The duo are heading on tour over the next coming months to showcase their sophomore album, Caracal and will be stopping off in Glasgow, Manchester and London. Head here for more on Disclosure.

More like this? Read our review of Caracal here