The Weight of Your Love is the fourth record from Editors and the first since the departure of lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz, who’s amicable parting from the band was always going to necessitate a change in sound. While front man Tom Smith's lyrics and vocals are an integral part of the group, it was the coupling of Smith with Urbanowicz's distinct leads which made early Editors records The Back Room and An End Has a Start so vibrant and strong.
Replacing Urbanowicz with two new band members (Justin Lockey and Elliott Williams) has given the band a fuller and more varied sound and the first handful of tracks on The Weight of Your Love exemplify this. 'The Weight' lives up to it's name with piano, strings, and a hefty drum sound filling every inch of airtime without being murky or muddled while 'Sugar' carries on this theme with a fuzzy, strident bass laying the groundwork for synths, guitars and even more strings to play.
While the Joy Division synth and vocal influences remain in tact from earlier works, Smith has specifically cited R.E.M. and Arcade Fire as influences on this record which accounts for not only the ever-present strings but some of the straight up pop melodies sprinkled throughout. First single, 'A Ton of Love' is possibly as close as you can come to writing an R.E.M. song without having to give Michael Stipe a credit. Reinforcing the 80’s pop sound is the very Bono styled refrain of "Desire" scattered throughout the song.
The swagger and force of these opening tracks soon gives way to a more reflective second act which affords Smith some of his best song writing. 'Honesty' stands out amongst these as a witness to self sabotage ("Collide into me, I could do with a fight"). The wave of angst then retreating to give way to a more melancholic feel on the next track, 'Formaldehyde'; The spaces within Smith's airy vocals flooded with atmospheric strings.
Frustratingly, the album peters out from here as the closing stages of the record offering nothing as solid as its earlier highlights. The loss of Urbanowicz's inventiveness is countered early with the addition of a fresher, more potent sound but these new elements feel like superfluous accessories later on. The Weight of Your Love is a good but unbalanced record. Fresh, substantial and fulfilling in parts, but in others ultimately weightless.
