Fassine’s last collection, 2016’s Dialectik, brought to mind Goldfrapp and Massive Attack, but though its brooding nature was sometimes claustrophobic, their third album goes further. There’s no mistaking their intentions: despite hinting at glimmers of light – thanks in part to Sarah Palmer’s voice, which, especially in this context, sounds like Toni Halliday’s, were Curve playing at half-speed behind her – the opening title track packs a big punch, and Limbs, which follows, lulls listeners into a false sense of security with sweet-tempered verses, before metallic guitars and pummelled drums disturb its peace.
Bloom, too, explodes into life like Rammstein, its synths as mighty as a 100-piece choir and drums that sound like they’re being thrown across the room by Thanos. There’s also an almost Satanic cover of Paolo Conté’s Max, with vocals courtesy of Italian rocker Fabrizio Pagni. But if Everyone Is Guilty To Me adds growling male vocals one might mistake for Tricky’s, Palmer nonetheless ensures Perfectly Planned is full of sugar, her vocal now tripping delicately with Liz Fraser’s grace, and on both Magpie and Hellsto (The Sweetness Came For Us)) her breathy tones hog the spotlight in a truly Fassine-ating fashion.