Released: July       Genre: Electronic       Metacritic Rating: 80%

Topping Surf Solar was always going to be difficult, and Fuck Buttons didn’t. Instead, after a four year gap they went for a much darker brooding sound which, although not necessarily bettering its predecessor, proved a claustrophobic and intense listen different from a lot of electronic releases. It was also very good, obviously. The London duo’s new direction was a change in style but not always in pace. Tracks still started off relatively simple and finished near enough breathtaking in terms of layers and complexity, giving way to synths over rich black overtones. Once ‘Brainfreeze’ reaches its peak the track is almost dazzling in terms of scope and it was a smart lead single, mixing both the old and new with a sublime structured hash of sounds. Shorter tracks like ‘Year Of The Dog’ show the duo laying out expansive soundscapes without lessening their impact, and overall Slow Focus was excellently crafter electronica track after track. It also made it into the UK Top 40, which isn’t bad for a release of this nature, with no gimmicks or vocals – just two people painting their own striking canvas.

My review: https://craigreviewsmusic.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/fuck-buttons-slow-focus-review/