July: 8 electro releases you have to hear this month

Com Truise 'Iteration Ghostly' (International)

Com Truise returns with his third studio album on Ghostly International, as Seth Haley jumps in his time machine once again to go back to the future. While his last two albums ‘Galactic Melt’ and ‘In Decay’ arrived just a year apart (in 2011 and 2012 respectively), the LA-based sci-fi obsessive has made us wait some six years for a follow-up. Has it been worth the wait? Yes and no. Sticking to his tested retro-futuristic aesthetic, Haley tries to find new life in well-trodden genres like synthwave and electro. He utilises the usual sci-fi tropes that inspired him to quit his job and pursue a career in music: tracks such as ‘Dryswch’ and ‘Ephemeron’ are all bright, neon synths, stodgy drums and lashing of analogue charm. At times the LP’s nostalgic outlook can be all-consuming, The likes of ‘Memory’ and ‘Vacuume’ do lighten the tone, but it would have been nice to see Haley also tackle darker timbres more often, as he does on ‘Syrthio’ and the title track.

7/10