When Beams’ already hugely danceable first track, ‘Her Fantasy’, drops for real at the four-minute mark, in Dear’s words: “fighting is futile”. From there, things simmer down into songs that prowl the dancefloor’s darkened rim rather than blitz the middle of it, though with their super-suave chugging groove they’re definitely still in the club.
From the first nightclub thumper to the Joy Division-style bass lines on ‘Earthforms’, the dubstep wobble of ‘Overtime’ and the general Bowie-esque air of manicured decadence, Dear’s bona fides as a DJ, producer, singer and songwriter all serve him excellently, with every track sounding coolly realised. The only flaw? The last three tracks all sound like they should be the closing track, making you wonder if the club’s ever going to shut.
[rating: 3.5] farinelli
