When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold

The silky piano of “Like the Rest of Us” confirms we’re a long way from the bare-knuckled emo rap of <i>God Loves Ugly</i>. The lulling opener makes for a seductive entry into Atmosphere’s fallen world, and what follows zooms in closer on Slug’s hard-luck characters. On “Dreamer”, Ant’s determined funk fuels a tale of a striving single mum; the guitar-and-voice simplicity of “Guarantees” underscores its stark portrait of working-class hardship. And on the bittersweet “Yesterday”, gospel piano brings uplift to a heartbreaking song about making amends.