Almost a decade after their last full-length, flamboyantly surreal Australian electronic group
Empire of the Sun
returned with their fourth studio set,
Ask That God
, which feels like both a return to form and a retrospective journey through their sonic evolution. Resurrecting the technicolor quirkiness of their debut and the chilly intensity of
Ice on the Dune
,
Luke Steele
and
Nick Littlemore
drop listeners back onto the sweaty dancefloor with the hypnotic "Changes" and the gorgeous new wave pulse of "Cherry Blossom." The digi-funk of the surprisingly earthly "Music on the Radio" and glimmering groove of the effusive synth pop gem "The Feeling You Get" keep energy and emotions at a high, just as the BPMs are cranked up for the frenetic
Pnau
collaboration "AEIOU." The nostalgic power of this blissful return to 2010s electro-pop can't be understated, and fans of
Walking on a Dream
should rejoice: the guys have still got it. The tone soon shifts for the retro slow burn of "Television," the star-sparkle shimmer of "Happy Like You," and the throbbing "Revolve," a trio of pulsing explorations through time and space that cool things down before the pair dip into mind-expanding psychedelics for the hypnotic trance of "Wild World" and the delightfully weird "Rhapsodize," which might be the only song in existence to name drop dinosaurs, wolverines, and great white sharks. The back half also features unexpected moments of vulnerability, pulling
Steele
Littlemore
back to earth with the bittersweet but inspirational "Ask That God" and then with the touching, piano-kissed closer "Friends I Know," which lays bare a litany of anxieties and concerns relatable to anyone, Empyrean or not. While 2016's
Two Vines
had its merits,
is a welcome return to the blissful, body-moving spirit of
's first two classics. ~ Neil Z. Yeung