While never threatening the mainstream, Essex art-rockers These New Puritans have accrued a devoted cult audience on the back of excellent albums like Beat Pyramid and Field Of Reeds. Their first album since 2019's Inside The Rose, Crooked Wing is another wonderfully skewed and imaginative offering from brothers George and Jack Barnett.

Opening duo ‘Waiting’ and ‘Bells’ are gorgeous avant-pop numbers, with dreamscape textures reminiscent of Aphex Twin and Brian Eno, while ‘A Season In Hell’ and ‘Wild Fields’ venture into more abrasive territory.

The gorgeous ‘Industrial Love Song’, meanwhile, does exactly what is says on the tin, with American singer Caroline Polachek delivering haunting vocals over a hypnotic, This Mortal Coil-style backdrop.

As wonderfully daring and innovative as ever, with Crooked Wing, These New Puritans have crafted another gem.

8/10

Out now