On his second solo album O’Connor has again created a retro-futuristic album of constructed and knowingly-crafted songs. Musically he digs deeper into the well of primitive 80s electronic landscapes and soul-tinged new wave. It’s a pastiche of everything from Pet Shop Boys to New Order with one ear to contemporaries like Xx and Austra and an overall sonic vibe reminiscent of Underground Lovers’ ‘Cold Feelings’. O’Connor’s songs are richly populated by characters both tragic and heroic, in emotional collisions and planned encounters. It’s a clever album that subverts the nostalgic sheen with melancholic melodies and an artful aloofness.

Chris Familton

this review was first published in The Music