NEW ALBUMS
AUDIOBOOKS
Astro Tough HEAVENLY
8/10
Odd couple’s eccentric and riveting take on synthpop
Audiobooks certainly made an impression with their difficult 2018 debut Now! (In A Minute), a cartoon collision of fruity electro and snooty sprechgesang. Luckily, Evangeline Ling and David Wrench have stuck to their guns and found comfort in the chaos of their collaboration for Astro Tough, smoothing out some of the kinks to produce their loveliest song, “First Move”, but also doubling down on the intensity so that nuttier numbers like “LaLaLa It’s The Good Life” and “Driven By Beef” evoke The Knife and Sparks. And as peculiar as “The Doll” and “Blue Tits” are, at heart this is thrilling, possibly visionary pop.