Outlands – Love Is As Cold As Death

Informed by the more ponderous end of the 90s UK beat scene – Lamb, in particular, are clearly an influence - and the colder synth sounds of 80s artists like Cocteau Twins and Kate Bush, the full-length debut by Virginia duo Outlands is occasionally beautiful, in a restrained way – the yearning vocals of Melissa Smith are given delicate counterpoint by Mark Arciaga's glacial beats and arrangements on Someone To Hold You In The Dark and the synth-pop-flavoured opener Politics.

Smith must be given credit for approaching some fairly weighty themes with her lyrics, referencing Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood on Chrome, and exploring notions of identity and nationality on Reproduction. Unfortunately, there's something a little too spindly and indecisive about Arciaga's production, with neither the weight of UK beat scene producers, nor the cold clarity of the best synth-pop. Smith's voice is often strident and over-polished, leaving the album as a whole feeling strangely lifeless and middle of the road, despite some strong tracks.