LA-by-way-of-Portland duo Soft Metals make music that is heavily reliant on atmosphere and interpretation – no surprise, since they're signed to the same Brooklyn label as distinctive acts Wild Nothing and Mac DeMarco. Yet Ian Hicks and Patricia Hall's second album isn't as evocative as they think it is, and all too often their minimalist synthpop soundtrack drifts into tediousness alongside Hall's clichéd "ice maiden" vocals. The syncopated beats and clinical feel loosens up with stimulating instrumental Hourglass, while In the Air's clubby Krautrock-inspired groove is impossible to resist, implying that these tracks may have worked best instrumentally. Yet Soft Metals' surmised penchant for self-indulgence still flows freely with the monotonous repetition of eight-minute-long Interobserver, a concluding track that sums up Lenses: more blurred affectation than crystalline clarity. facebook.com/softmetals
Download: In the Air