Dean Blunt's advancements in sound have been something to behold. Between his work with Inga Copeland as Hype Williams and the subversive wilds of debut solo album The Redeemer, Blunt pitched himself around as a restless, wilfully idiosyncractic producer keen to confound expectations at every turn.
There are similarly enhanced passages to be found on Black Metal, but there are also many striking moments when Blunt goes much deeper and wider than merely creating sonic mischief.
Tracks like Lush, Grade and 50 Cent reel and roll from stylistic pillar to post, carrying Blunt and his vocalist foil Joanne Robertson along from indie pop to shoegaze to punk. But much better still are X and Forever, two lengthy tracks full of beautiful, glitchy, extraordinarily exquisite sounds and emotions.
You could probably spend the rest of the year figuring out the motives behind Blunt’s slippery musical machinations, but it would be far better to just dive in and enjoy the rush.
