As an artist, Sean Bowie — aka Yves Tumor — has always been hard to pin down. Not “difficult” necessarily: challenging, definitely, but far from inaccessible. An Yves Tumor album has always been more of an invitation in itself. A sincere promise from Tumor that, as long as you enter this bargain with good intentions and an open mind, you’re about to receive something special. This has never been more the case than it is with the Berlin-based artist’s latest release: the aptly named Safe in the Hands of Love.

The album moves between dark throbs and genuine bangers without either ever feeling out of place. Sonically diverse, Licking an Orchid and Lifetime have a Tame Impala — even Modest Mouse-like — feel to the rhythm section, where lead single Noid taps into a warm mud bath of R&B with its splashy cymbals and high-end strings. The album is, however, more than just a patchwork of influences. This is a mission statement from an artist who knows that the trademark of their sound is not so much the sound itself, but its ability to take hold of the listener and bring them into the fold. It is the manifestation of a vision, now fully realised, projected to us from within.

Karl Smith