Years & Years - Palo Santo (Deluxe) (2018)

“Crafting pop songs is such a mysterious science,” Olly Alexander, frontman of London synth-pop trio Years & Years, told Apple Music. Their 2015 UK chart-topping debut, Communion, demonstrated it’s a skill he’s mastered, yet the songwriter was avoiding the things he really wanted to say. "I was a little bit scared,” he confessed, but his band’s follow-up wastes no time exploring more uncomfortable terrain. Pulsating opener “Sanctify” details his complex relationships with straight-identifying men, while “If You’re Over Me” unlocks the pain of rejection. Palo Santo’s title references a South American incense known for its healing powers, and Alexander hopes that tracks exploring sin and sexuality might likewise help conflicted fans accept themselves for who they are. “For anybody listening,” he said, “I just hope it makes them feel inspired to get a little freaky, be a little weirder and be a little sensual.”