Mount Kimbie are returning with their third studio album following 2013’s melancholic ‘Cold Springs Fault Less Youth.’Conceived between London and Los Angeles, the transatlantic ‘Love What Survives’ marks the duo’s movement into more melodic, upbeat territory and strengthens their ties with close friends and long-term collaborators James Blake and King Krule. Mount Kimbie have also traded their unique field recordings for several vintage synthesisers to create a record that is minimalist, carefully crafted and a beautiful blend of musical visions.

The album opens with the fittingly titled ‘Four Years and One Day’, and the pulsing synth keys stoke our anticipation. King Krule lends his ragged vocals for a second time on the blistering single ‘Blue Train Lines’ and his distinct voice complements the aggressive beat. ‘Audition’ has the industrial rhythm of a post-punk single whilst Mount Kimbie return to their tropical bass roots on ‘SP12 Beat.’ The clear light and shade of the album is evident on tracks like ‘Poison,’ a delicate and introspective piano interlude, which contrasts dramatically with the pulsing urgency of ‘Delta.’ Recent single ‘We Go Home Together’ is soulful, dissonant and intentionally unpolished as Blake’s voice cracks against the mellow synth. It is the latest in a long series of collaborations between Mount Kimbie and James Blake who are both challenging the electronic genre with stripped back production on their recent albums.

‘Love What Survives’ builds on Mount Kimbie’s reputation as musical pioneers. They continue to evolve and redefine the possibilities of dance music with new shades of pop and punk. Although Blake’s haunting vocals on album closer ‘How We Got By’ seem worlds apart from the raw energy of Archy Marshall, ‘Love What Survives’ plays as a collection of expansive electronic moments.

‘Love What Survives’ is out 8th September on Warp Records.

Lucy Milburn