8/10

Since the release of their breakthrough EP 'Meltdown Mechanics' last summer, The Modern Strangers have been going from strength to strength ever since. With a string of high-profile festival shows under their belt, the Tunbridge Wells band recently relocated to Los Angeles with their producer Gordon Mills Jr and ever since, have been producing music with a suitably sun-kissed atmosphere. So with plenty of buzz being whipped up around their return, they now deliver their latest collection 'Visions', a release that is jam-packed with psychedelic and disco influences.

For those that already heard the preview singles 'Magic Hour' and the title-track, the sound and dexterity of 'Visions' will be no surprise. This new four-track release, which also includes the cuts 'Parallel' and 'Be Your Lover', has this incredible rich and luxurious vibe running through it, taking them away from their more basic formative direction and seeing them adopt a more warming aesthetic. This new release almost sees them take on a more RnB-laden path, but wrap up the sound with a heady mix of synth and drums, giving them a flavour that is more in line with the works of Animal Collective or Toro Y Moi.

Either way, 'Visions' feels far too short when it plays. The four tracks that are featured here are so good and enticing that they you end up feeling like more needs to come, and very soon. They have clearly found a direction that suits them and look to be running on a wave of creativity that feels like there is so much more to unleash.