Bold, bright and genre-defying, Lust for Youth’s new self-titled release feels more tethered to real life, in all its vivid complexity, than anything the synth pop outfit have put out before.

Now six albums in, angst is no longer the prevalent feeling in the Copenhagen duo’s work, and the strict aesthetic rules of their minimal wave beginnings have been cast aside. Vocalist Hannes Norrvide almost seems done with introspection altogether. With the deliberate detachment of a Bret Easton Ellis protagonist, his gaze is now fixed at the world around him. There’s a sense he’s taking an inventory of the people in his life and the directions they are moving in (New Balance Point, Insignificant and By No Means are all savage kiss-offs) and current events such as climate change are cast as a backdrop to personal narratives.

This rich texture is there in songcraft too. Multiinstrumentalist Malthe Fischer’s subtle layers of synth and guitar evoke pangs of reflection on the passage of time, while providing the propulsive momentum that helps make the record as memorable as it is. For a band that has been steadily moving in this direction, this album is their most fearless and sure-footed leap forward.

Steve Mallon