Psychic Lovers [LP]

's tried a number of sounds on for size on his early EPs, but on , a signature style emerges. Recorded in Copenhagen and L.A., 's debut album polishes away some of the lo-fi quirks of his early work. Instead, the 2014 single "Going Out" feels like the template for songs like "Turn Me On," which is full of slapped bass, whispered backing vocals, and tumbling, gated drums that would make proud. Despite ' slicked-back sound, there's still a fascinating tug-of-war between coolness and awkwardness in 's music: "Wake Up"'s jet-setting glamour puts up a suave facade that the abrasive experiment "AFY" roughs up a few tracks later. As on 's earlier work, this tension makes for some of the album's best moments. feels truest to himself when he contrasts breezy, highly artificial sounds with singing that sounds like drunken karaoke, as if between mischief and true emotion. On the album-opener "Cool as Ice," it sounds like he's covering a huge yet forgotten '80s hit as he imbues lyrics that could seem cliched with heartfelt energy, while his blunt delivery conveys the shock of loss on "Gone." closes with a pair of 's surprisingly affecting ballads: Aided by a gospel choir on "Lie" and a children's choir on "Kali, Take Me Home," both songs showcase 's alchemical gift for transforming the cheesy and trite into something genuine. Though sometimes feels a little labored, it proves that the seemingly accidental brilliance of 's earlier music was anything but. ~ Heather Phares