Delorean – Apar

For a band named after a time machine, Delorean could do with working on their timing. Apar arrives at the tail end of a summer it could, in another universe, have soundtracked from the start, with its dazzling production and dreamy demeanour tailor-made for dawn afterparties.

With fewer vocal samples and a greater emphasis on lyric-led songwriting than on last album Subiza, Apar moves the Basque-born, Barcelona-based quartet incrementally away from the dancefloor while retaining that intangible ‘eyes close/arms in the air’ hedonistic feel.

It takes their style to a stable already occupied by Passion Pit, recent M83 and Chairlift, so it’s fitting to hear the latter’s Caroline Polachek on highlight Unhold – a glittery whirligig that pivots around her warped vocal. Elsewhere, the closing Still You is their most overt cap-doff in New Order’s direction, and with a beating heart beneath the flash and flair, Delorean’s future looks bright indeed. [Chris Buckle]