65daysofstatic – Wild Light

'No one knows what is happening...' repeats a ghostly voice at the start of Wild Light. A bleak way to begin, you could reason, but then the synth kicks in: big, blustering, almost operatic in its futuristic grandeur, stately in gait. The vocal sample implies nihilism and helplessness; the music suggests it’s not too late, or at the very least, we can make a bit of a racket until it is.

65daysofstatic’s fifth studio album maintains their patented blend of instrumental guitar-driven electronica, but they seem more confident than ever in exploring darker, weirder territories. Tone and pace switch without a moment’s notice – the scattershot mathy energy of knowingly-titled Sleepwalk City contrasts sharply with the pared down acoustics of subsequent track Taipei. Safe Passage, meanwhile, offers an appropriately epic epilogue, drenching your ears with a collapsed dam of beatific noise. Basic post-rock blueprints are still under the bonnet, but 65daysofstatic have somehow emerged more original than ever. [John Nugent]