What I’ve always loved about Grimes’ music is its ability to take it’s listener to another realm; throughout her first three LPs she has always used her arsenal of etheral synths and mystical soundscapes to whisk us away to sacred fairytale lands filled with Dream Fortresses and ancient monsters. It’s an ability she again masterfully employs again on her fourth effort, Art Angels, although this time she chooses to take us to a different setting, somewhere more futuristic, hyperactive and metropolitan.

Throughout the record she uses a fully formed set of pop sensibilities (the seeds for which were sewn with last year’s single ‘Go’) to create a series of energetic and euphoric bangers such as ‘Kill V Maim’ and ‘Flesh Without Blood’, which, although still decidedly offbeat and chaotic, are not hard to imagine within a Top 40 playlist. When she invites her friends along to collaborate she manages to utilize their best qualities whilst adding her own twist. ‘SCREAM’ swaps vicious tongued rapper Aristophanes’ usual dark and moody productions for a jarring, western, almost Tarentino-esque backing track. Janelle Monet collaboration ‘Venus Fly’ is a standout with its booming bass and singsong choruses recalling Santigold or MIA (always a good thing).

Grimes’ new-found desire to experiment with more organic instrumentation works well on some tracks – classical tinged opener ‘Laughing at Being Normal’ feels fresh and fun – although not so much on others, with middle of the road ‘Belly of the Beat’ and electrofolk jam ‘California’ sounding uncomfortably similar to Ellie Goulding. And, unfortunately, we have to contend with the sheer butchering of fan favorite demo ‘Realiti’ which swaps the original version’s keen use of space and subtlety for messy overproduction and overbearing drum beats.

Although moments like this make Art Angels less consistent than its now classic predecessor ‘Visions’, it’s certainly Grimes’ bravest and perhaps most exciting record yet.

Max Roe