Ladytron - Time’s Arrow

Ladytron were granted an unlikely surprise last year when their 20-year old tune ‘Seventeen’ went viral. While the group’s recent albums are far more lush and fantastical than the skeletal electro espoused upon their formation in Liverpool in the late ‘90s, it’s no surprise that their subtle futurism still resonates. Now, with their seventh studio album ‘Time’s Arrow’, Ladytron continue to push their immaculate synthscapes into ever-more utopian climes. Smothering each track in dream-sequence levels of reverb, keyboards pile up into vitreous obelisks of sound, while drum machines charge ahead with regimental vigour. The vocals too remain as inimitable and distinctive as ever, pitched exquisitely between mechanical coolness and warm-blooded vulnerability. There are numerous highlights: ‘City of Angels’ and ‘We Never Went Away’ strut and swagger in that vintage, evergreen Ladytron vein, while ‘Misery Remember Me’ sways with a Cocteau Twins angelicness, showcasing the group’s underlying dream-pop allegiances. While the album may find itself guilty of treading the line of pretty-but-unassuming at times - the sheer beauty of every detail is impressive, if not a little tiring - ‘Time’s Arrow’ remains a sumptuous listen.