Basic//Complex is a surprise, not to discredit Polytype whatsoever, but this is a deep and rewarding album that manages to pluck ideas from various genres and meld a wonderful, warm yet precise sound that works so well you might not have seen it coming and may be left in your playlist for weeks to come.

Picked up from bandcamp’s new ‘bandcamp radio’ show, broadcast each week and designed to showcase some of the websites best and most interesting artists, the two pre-release tracks from Polytype, Refract and Devils Out, were a wonderful blend of indie and electronic with stabbing synths, great rythms and smooth, clear vocals. It was instantly intriguing and well executed but left me worried their album would fail to live up to these two tracks.

I need not have worried though. Rock bands have been dabbling with electronic music for years but Basic//Complex feels so natural it almost becomes difficult to pin a genre to. Electronic definitely, but undoubtedly indie with a very organic live feel; strong pop sensibilities are always present with catchy vocal melodies and beautiful production finishing the sound. It can be mellow and downtempo one minute then bursting with energy contrasting beautifully the next, yet it retains a coherent vibe and never jars – an achievement in itself. It becomes hard to fault it as an album as Polytype deliver one of the most rewarding listening experiences of the year.

Grab the album over on their bandcamp page.