Islomania is a constant waltzing revival for Islands

Keeping active outside of music, Thorburn seemed convinced that their chapter was closing, yet came to the realisation that all was not lost. In addition to an unchanged line-up consisting of the Gordon brothers and drummer Halferty, their eighth outing sounds like a fresh start full of enthusiasm, absolutely invigorating.

Islomania breathes meticulous and colourful work, with the ability to maintain intensity and a fantastically contagious groove. With the many experiences of its leader, Islomania is a mastered indie pop, synth tinged opus.

Through ten varied and homogeneous paintings, Islands abandons the depressing themes of past for an optimistic outlook. Islomania shines thanks to its leader's gifts to weave catchy melodies and a deeply hedonistic writing. Like Islands' new beginning, Islomania is actually distinguished by its clear-sightedness, where the author constantly extirpates himself from the shallows, whatever the subject, to reach the light leading him to rebirth.

Each song sounds like an adventure; a fight; a dose of pure energy. Not all of it’s sensational, but none of it is undeserving. "(We Like to) Do It With The Light" or "Set The Fairlight" shine as fearsome electric ballads punctuated by hope. These are not the only important engines, the second part of Islomania delivers a spiritual introspection to overcome boredom and melancholy as an obligatory step to its blooming. We find notably a festive disco on "Natural Law Party", a warm ballad "Never Let You Down", or "Gore" a triumphant conclusion as an apotheosis.

Freed from the spectre of Unicorns' success and freed from the burden of their debut Return To The Sea, Islands offers us the transcendent Islomania, their most convincing album in 15 years.