Although his solo debut
Diviner (2019) was more inward-looking, former
Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe felt he needed to give his music a more open-ended feel this time around. With dominating synthpop, this album is still most similar to the Wild Beasts album
Boy King (2016), though the ferocity of this remains absent from Thorpe as a solo artist. On Moondust For My Diamond, synthesizers glide
… by gracefully as Thorpe throws his falsetto over them. The choice to switch to electronics is because this time Thorpe also drew inspiration from nature and the cosmos, and wanted to create a more naturally developed sound. This way he builds warm and rich soundscapes in which you can effortlessly lose yourself as a listener. It offers an interesting contrast with his previous album and at the same time it underlines Thorpe's versatility. (JvQ)more
