Music reviews

Kimbra Primal Heart (Warner) ★★★ Nearly four years from her fivestar sophomore sensation The Golden Echo, the Waikato pop queen returns with more colourful and layered electro work. Primal Heart sees the 28-year-old New Yorkbased singer soak into a much safer body of pop. It is very much what you’d call Top 40 material but don’t let that be a red flag. Phenomenal opener The Good War has an almost Tears For Fears feel with its superb dynamics and striking chorus. Top of the World, which features production from EDM superstar Skrillex, is an infectious banger that uses wicked hip-hop beats and icy synths. Everybody Knows incorporates moody electronics. Yet unfortunately much of the writing doesn’t stay particularly consistent. Recovery and Human are dime-a-dozen pop with mostly forgettable melodies and lyrics. These tracks are just a far cry from the eclectic and textured world of The Golden Echo. Her voice is as strong and spectacular as ever and her role as executive producer is an impressive feat. Kimbra hasn’t had the gargantuan success of Lorde but her continued momentum abroad is more than deserved. - Hugh Collins ★★★ Composed of members from bands such as The Horrors and The Black Angels, this is psychedelic rock, with all that term entails – and yes, that sometimes includes sitars. Within that genre, there are a variety of styles on offer. Some arrive fully formed, with Earth Moon being evocative of the Stone Roses, and Black Habit being almost radio friendly. Elsewhere, (I’m Tired Of) Western Shouting and You Dreamt are more mechanical, imbued with the insistently monotonous grind of a production line. There are also moments of ambient sparseness, typified by the track Other. Mien is an easy sell if you know and enjoy psychedelia, or generally enjoy music as a backdrop – something to soak the silence without intrusively demanding your attention. - James Cardno ★★★ For well over a decade Brooklyn noise merchants APTBS have mastered the art of rock music that’s as harsh and abrasive as it is memorable and moody. Pinned sees the three-piece carry their hybrid brand of post-punk and noise rock through this familiar territory. And most of it is still effective, even if it we feel we’ve heard most of it before. Guitarist and singer Oliver Ackermann still brings a range of bizarre and colourful tones into their aesthetic, very much demonstrating his wider influence in the world of abrasive indie music. While much of the songwriting doesn’t quite cut the same punch as well as 2009’s Exploding Head, Pinned is very much the soundtrack to your eerie stumble home through dark streets at 3am on a Saturday. - Hugh Collins