Headcage EP

Matthew Dear returns to the weird world of pop with new E.P; Headcage. A stopgap if you like before fifth album Beams arrives later this year. As snappy as it is short Dear uses just four songs to convey his latest direction which retains enough of his familiar quirks to keep fans happy and yet leaves behind some of the more introspective noodling from his last album Black Cities that may have alienated the casual listener. To compare an artist's current output to a totemic album from their past, in this case Asa Breed, is to provide something of a disservice. Then again when you are taking about one of the best albums of electronic pop made of the last ten years and Dear's own name is his self confessed "pop moniker", it is practically impossible to not draw comparisons. Happily, for me at least, contained within this dark, grimy new world of Dear's creation, there are plenty of positive references. From bouncing one note marimba's to sing along & shuffle chorus', soaring walls of reverb and Dear's uniquely treated voice which actually appears in some subtly different guises, there are plenty of variations on familar themes to entwine yourself with. 'Street Song' pays a small homage - intentional or not - to How To Dress Well's sun bleached R&B and 'Around a Fountain's ethereal doom is a clear continuation of themes that began on Black City. The Headcage E.P does not exactly make me wet with excitement for Beams, but it has certainly pricked my interest and aroused my curiosity about what comes next. Download the title track, for free, here.