★★★★☆
Making the state of the art out of the time honored and traditional, Joe and Will Ask show the number of times they’ve pored over the pages of the rulebook they never intend on re-writing. With that, they have to be aware that safety first can verge on the ordinary, as “Last Forever” and “Put It Down” both show. Then again, it’s a margin that makes them pop-ready in parts, and with the unusually sung “This Song,” the pair have done their research on the relevance of past electro dance.
“Baywatch” shows that a piano hook remains one of the most gripping devices in a house producer’s armory, a glorious track both bullish and beach-worthy without the need to dance in slow motion, developing the rolling ivories and sun and sea-faring “Freya.” When steeped in bass but staying melodic, “Goat Race” performs another failsafe: a one-two of tingly keys tip-toeing on top of a roaming boom, and then “Santander” turns the amps up on Nalin & Kane’s “Beachball” to really kick some sand up. Joe Ashworth and William Green are hand-raisers with a policy of raving responsibly like it’s a public service announcement – one that everyone should support.
File under: Kissy Sell Out, Burns, Zombie Nation