A glacial form of electronic R&B was the initial response from Bowlegs on hearing moments from Active Child’s spiritually cleansing debut. Sharing the mic with How To Dress Well’s Tom Krull on the excellent ‘Playing House’ probably assisted on the description stakes. Or maybe it was the soft snare tripping ‘Hanging On’, where Pat Grossi (who is Active Child) provides stunning harmonies to his own falsetto tones.

The production and instrumentation is clean, like a musical form of Evian – synths that never touch the ground, beats that expand the palette and Grossi’s harp a connection to the organic.

Grossi’s voice is the centre of the record, so even when the drums go beyond the cinematic, like on ‘See Thru Eyes’, his intonation draws the attention, the reverb-drenched, delaying beat shatters amidst the beautiful delivery. James Blake or Bon Iver may be reference points, but all three create their own space and time – their own personality as strong as the vocal chords they were blessed with.

The Active Child EP ‘Curtis Lane’ was impressive, yet here we move to a new level of confidence from the LA based musician. The crackling ‘Way Too Fast’ can’t even dirty the track’s take on love and relationships. The surging synths remain low-key, as does the subtle rumbling – Grossi sounding emotionally damaged as he delivers the “you’re so damn cold” line numerous times.

The electro sounds from yesteryear on ‘Shield & Sword’ provide another record high, hinting at an industrial genre, the beat throbs and snaps as keys and analogues rise and fall.

This is an expansive record that takes its own sweet time to unwind, to deliver heartbreak or to bask in the open view – and Bowlegs plans on getting lost within for a while yet.

-Steve Wareham-