The Scottish shoegaze heroes return with the follow-up to their highly acclaimed 2014 album, Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave, with the stunning It Won't Be Like This All The Time.

Opening with '10 Good Reasons For Modern Drugs', the band establish the album's tone: powerful, haunting, melodic and cinematic in scope. The Sad Twilight certainly know their way to a critic's heart, with 'Shooting Dennis Hopper Shooting' referencing one of my personal heroes. Tunes like this and the wonderful 'VtR' represent some of the finest material they've ever recorded.

Given their recent support slot with The Cure, it's no surprise to detect that band's influence here, as well as other post-punk heroes like Joy Division, Cocteau Twins and early Psychedelic Furs; this element is especially pronounced on ethereal doom-pop numbers 'The Arbor' and 'I'm Not Here'. Throughout the record, lush ambient synths and phased guitars beautifully underpin frontman James Alexander Graham's gorgeous, anguished melodies.

Overall, It Won't Be Like This All The Time is a collection of widescreen industrial epics, with moments of sheer euphoria to offset the often sombre tone. It's a stunning effort, custom-built for the cavernous arenas The Sad Twilight should be performing in. Fingers crossed...

Out now.

8/10