ALBUM OF THE WEEK

Food science calls it the bliss point: the blend of sugar, fat and salt that makes us crave foods regardless of whether they’re designed to nourish us. Music, too, has its own sublime syntheses. Dunedin trio Death and the Maiden may deal directly with darkness, decay and anxiety in their lyrics, but the combination of Lucinda King’s rich vocals and booming, insistent basslines, Hope Robertson’s swirling guitar and Danny Brady’s hypnotic techno synths and beats creates a euphoric, urgent post-punk sound that taps straight into a visceral need to nod and sway. Second outing Wisteria is more gutsy, more beatdriven than their 2015 eponymous debut, and an enveloping, wholebody experience.

WISTERIA, Death and the Maiden (Fishrider)