Spokes have been a surfacing rock within intelligent British instrumental music since the release of their 2008 EP People Like People Like You, itself a haven of hushed instrumental calm, sweeping guitars and soaring strings, accentuated by smatterings of tribal calls and just a few lines of lyrics. Therefore it’s a surprise when you listen to their debut Everyone I Ever Met, as dream-like vocals and lyrics have become an intrinsic part of each song’s formation, the inclusion of which is testament to the band’s apparent urge for a change in direction as well as their song writing progression.

Not that Spokes’ song writing ability has ever been questionable: in 2008, clutching just a handful of songs, the band won amazingtunes’ Sound 08 award, along with a place at RockNess festival. Yet Spokes have clearly evolved and now there is a more multifaceted element of endurance to their original instrumental interludes, and their debut long player’s extended running time allows Spokes to showcase just what they are capable of.

The album begins with ‘3 4 5’ and its delicate opening notes of a sole guitar, before softly and steadily layering vocals with a violin. The subsequent build up of drums and soaring vocals, complete with collapsing silences, channels elements of post-rock in the violin-based vein of Yndi Halda, rather than the more industrial, synth-heavy variety produced by the likes of 65daysofstatic’s earliest incarnation and Explosions In The Sky. Soft and slow burning, the title track’s three-minute introduction features an array of soft soprano notes and growing piano tinkles before it expands into a full force of crashing, off-kilter choruses which just beg to be let loose live. The vocals erupt into three-part harmonies of “Take tomorrow off so we can play/ To lose ourselves in every way” and at almost eight-minutes long, is much more like their previous majestic material, yet with a proficiency of craftsmanship that hints at the band’s evident development.

Creating intervals within the more epic collections of instrumental expansion are tracks such as ‘Sun It Never Comes’ and ‘Canon Grant’, soft songs featuring one voice and an acoustic guitar or piano respectively, that allows time for reflection in between the album’s more climatic moments. ‘Torn Up In Praise’ is one of these instances – markedly unique in its prolonged intensity, rather than the patterns of gradual growth and lingering moments of serenity that the rest of the songs follow. Beginning with a frenzy of assorted instruments warming up in scattered harmonies, the troupe burst into the collective vocals, “Be still dark night/ Just come round and get right”. The use of increased violin plucking sets and maintains the song’s pace and adds more dramatic definition to the song, simulataneously displaying the band’s varying techniques and affirming the song’s place on the album after its stint as a long-time live favourite.

Despite the band’s musical progression and the breadth of narrative that the album contains – thanks in part to its newfound vocals – there are times when the collective caterwauling comes across as superfluous, such as during ‘Giving It Up To The Night’ when the song’s more delicate moments containing just one voice have much more impact. As their previous material demonstrates, much of Spokes’ strength lies in their ability to command their instruments and tell a tale through the colour they add to their music with varying dynamics, layers of instruments and gradual swells. On Everyone I Ever Met there are moments such as these that speak on their own, and on tracks such as the beautifully varied ‘Forever The Bridge’ lyrics are simply not needed as the pure, calm ambience that the instruments create alone are enough to impress. As the album winds down with the soft ending of slow closer ‘When I Was A Daisy, When I Was A Tree’ such subtleties are demonstrated to perfection. The closing minute features one of the most beautifully crafted passages on the whole album, its syncopated, rumbling drums cautiously crescendoing over the waves of guitars and piano played softly as the outro fades into silence, leaving an aura of stillness in its wake.

Spokes are one of those bands that successfully manage to capture the same subtleties of sound and dynamic definition that they create in a live environment on record. With their new direction as a vocal-led band, not only do Spokes manage to arrange their orchestration to a stunning standard, they also add another string to their bow by evoking dreamy, yet vivid imagery with their lyrics. Although the band’s hitherto unique, instrumental approach has been somewhat watered down, and instead replaced with more typical alternative indie stylings, Spokes have still produced an impressive debut that, if welded with the more dynamic instrumental components that made their older material so special, could certainly create an altogether inimitable sound on their next release.