Arriving on the Village Green label, the head-turning debut from BEAK>’s William Young is a treasure trove of synthesiser melodramas, dripping with classic cinematographic references and a joyously maximal approach to production.

Things get underway with the portentous Second Run, before The Terminal raises its head to a neon-soaked sky. Like bandmate Geoff Barrow’s soundtrack work or composer Tom Raybould’s score for sci-fi indie The Machine, there’s a gothic, gloopy edge to Moon Gangs’ material, and as much kinetic energy in some of these tracks as Fuck Buttons or Rival Consoles. But where these latter acts deliver their power punches partly through muscle and might, Moon Gangs pull off an even harder trick: flooring you softly without the aid of the loud/quiet/loud dynamic. Sea Circles swirls gently through a rhythmless vortex, while Familiar Machines is the most Blade Runner-esque track of all, a deep, pounding bass note providing the heartbeat for concentric circles of synths to cluster around. The album is bookended by a pair of gentle, drowned chants, a natural contrast to the intense noise contained within. It’s difficult to find fault with this all-consuming set of songs: an epic unfurling of electronic melody.

Adam Corner