The Ruby Suns – Christopher

On fourth album Christopher, New Zealander Ryan McPhun has pushed The Ruby Suns further still from their psychedelic-threaded indie origins, embracing a dancefloor-friendly aesthetic to mostly swish effect. Inspired by time spent immersed in Oslo’s arts scene, it sees McPhun continue down a path first paced with 2010’s Fight Softly, combining lush melodies with intricate, disco-lite production.

The opening trio are arguably the record’s peak accomplishments: Desert of Pop struts to the same blueprint as Electronic's Getting Away With It; In Real Life elevates the elation with faint echoes of Kool and the Gang; while Dramatikk is a bubbling, laidback gem. But for all its early promise, later stretches feel detached and even a little hollow, melting into an undistinguished zeitgeist sound when once The Ruby Suns stood out a little more distinctly. Pristine and glittery on the surface, but not enough to push McPhun up a league.