A spectrum of emotion and sound is unveiled immediately by post-punk band Editors in the first two songs of In Dream – the hauntingly macabre darkwave of ‘No Harm’ is shortly uplifted by the infectiously upbeat indie rock anthem ‘Ocean of Night’. Editors’ variety in genre is displayed from the outset, and the rest of In Dream explores the range of this experimentalism whilst remaining as engaging as their music has always been.

In Dream builds upon their more electronic-orientated sound of their third album, In This Light and On This Evening. Bubbling synthesizers battle with rock instrumentation for dominance, but vocalist Tom Smith triumphs as the album’s powerhouse. From the soft coos of ‘No Harm’ to the sassy ‘Forgiveness’, Smith’s booming presence is domineering yet warm. Sometimes too much so, as the ballad ‘At All Cost’ trudges with lethargy – a stark contrast from the band who once brought us ‘Munich’.

‘Life Is A Fear’ and ‘Our Love’ flaunt funky bass lines whilst retaining a dark air which has become so characteristic of the band; yet this heavy dependence of synth-pop is borderline parody as it leaves a dubious disco taste in your mouth. Despite the band producing the album themselves and branching away from their U2 mimicry in the previous album, there is a momentary slip of identity; ‘Our Love’s repetition of “don’t stop believing” sounds strangely familiar, but I just can’t put my finger on it…

For a band appearing to be on the downturn, Editors’ fifth LP In Dream brings a new perspective to the band’s iconic brooding sound and even manages to surprise with originality. The effective mix of pop and experimentalism will have you humming their sinister tunes in no time.

Jekabs Jursins