Although ultimately their move from the Recordings of Substance stable to Trevor Jackson's Output proved an unrewarding experience, with Ollie Bown and Sam Britton leaving soon after the release of
Squid Ink to establish their own Not Applicable imprint,
Icarus' third full-length effort remains something of a hidden gem. A significant move forward from their previous material, the pair deserts their previous muse of proto-jungle this time in favor of adventuring even further into laptop-fuelled abstraction. "Sake" and "Stuzzikini" are more ambient weaponry than music, with these precision-guided sonics countered by the humanized instrumentation that lights up the delicate percussion of "ZZ9," "Oott," and the near-perfect "Cyan." Another fine demonstration of excellent electronica from a criminally underrated duo. ~ Kingsley Marshall