Listening to the latest installation to Darwin Deez’s discography, Double Down, we are presented with an album of contrasts. The wacky yet wonderful compositions; relentless pace shackled by an overall subdued feel; and the disparity between the album’s two halves emphasise the battle between front man Darwin Smith’s obvious talent and the languid effect of the songs.

As expected, Double Down is littered with bizarre and beautiful chord transitions and hard hitting syncopation, whilst constant upbeat electronic drum loops give the album an irrepressible drive. This is coupled with groovy basslines, succulent guitar licks and the customarily easy-going nature that makes Darwin Deez such an exciting band. A one-way ticket to Mars, the album rockets off to the unexplored cavities of Smith’s bursting creativity.

But Double Down never reaches its destination. Instead of finding ourselves amidst the exhilarating dimensions of alternative musical grounds, we are left stranded in an unfamiliar and unnerving space. Without the presence of an infectious lead single like ‘Radar Detector’, the album lacks a focal point, meaning that the album’s eleven songs are exposed for their weakness. As a result, Double Down has an extremely low replay value.

Disappointingly, Smith’s often lackadaisical and alluringly floating vocals come across as lazy and dissonant, whilst the over production in songs like ‘Lover’ accentuate the unusual clash of the album’s clattering opening. As soon as ‘Melange Mining Co.’ introduces a more stripped back approach, Double Down relaxes into more engaging territory that provides a much needed but inefficient respite.

Falling flat somewhere between the poppy overtones of their self titled debut album and the dreamlike sequences of Songs For Imaginative People, Double Down finds itself at a halfway house that fails to leave a lasting impression.

Robert Cairns