Quarry's Object boasts impressive high points, but can be too polished for its own good

“Everybody Wants Somebody” opens on mellow synths and a simple drum pattern, gradually adding ingredients to the mix towards a barnstorming, multilayered finale. “No More,” the album’s most club-ready cut, does likewise. Half “Sinnerman,” half “Lola’s Theme,” jazz pianos build into a euphoric drop and a joyous vocal turn that shows off Quarry’s range to the fullest.

The versatility and technique he exhibits as a singer elevates the album significantly. Whether it’s the plaintive balladeering of “Middle 8” or the resigned but skippy R&B bounce of single “Sound of Your Summer,” Quarry’s vocals always carry the load, driving the melody from the front. It’s an affected performance – you won’t catch much of a Tring accent in there – but hugely assured, too. Most of the record could slot into any chart radio schedule over the past three decades.

Its broad appeal, though, can give way to a certain blankness. The music doesn’t always stick too long in the memory, and the tracks take similar routes – downbeat verses, soaring choruses that either double down on the gloom, or preach self-reliance. When Quarry finds another gear, he takes us on a journey; and when they don’t, it feels stationary or overly safe.

The record ends strongly with one of its most distinctive efforts, the punchy, uplifting “I Got U.” Rather than the wall of sound that backdrops the album’s weaker tunes, the closer prioritises detail: a bouncy, stylophone-like bass and a keyboard riff that flirts with discordance. Lyrically Quarry’s on familiar ground, but he’s more characterful here, more revealing, ending things on a cheekily melancholic note: “Ain’t got money but we got friends / ain’t being funny but this never ends.”

Object aims for something big, bold, and universal – and more often than not succeeds. The album sounds great; it’s slick and well paced. The pop star persona of Quarry, though, keeps us from gaining much of an understanding of the artist. At their least effective, the songs can feel bitesize and disposable. When the music blossoms, or we’re allowed a peek behind the curtain, we’re granted a promising sign of things to come from this young artist.