Suede
Bloodsports - INGROOVES/FONTANA
FILTER Grade: 80%

The enfants terribles of the Britpop era are back—a little softer around the edges and a little older around the eyes. Their first album in a decade is a stately, more considered effort. Nonetheless, Bloodsports still thrums with the darkness and danger that made the fivesome’s early records so worthy of your absolute allegiance. “Snowblind” and “Hit Me” are a continuation of Coming Up’s gritty, glitzy, glammy pop, while the soaring “For the Strangers” aims to supplant “Saturday Night” as the band’s sing-along set closer. Some moments feel too safe, most notably the mid-tempo first single “It Starts and Ends With You.” For the most part, though, Suede’s newfound maturity suits them well.