You’re reading Loud And Quiet, so you probably don’t need anyone to tell you who Andrew Hung is. You know the guy was one half of Fuck Buttons, and you know that he wrote that song for the Olympics. All you want to know is if his new record is good or not.

Cutting to the chase, Deliverance is something of a mixed bag. With its themes of belonging, togetherness and finally fitting in, it’s certainly a lot more confessional than any of Hung’s solo work, showcasing a more optimistic-sounding side of a guy most people still associate with fingernails-down-a-blackboard-style noise. Yet, the strengths also end up being its weaknesses. It’s a distinctly earthbound experience compared to previous records; it’s only really when we get to the closer ‘Love Is’ that we get a little taste of otherworldly Tangerine Dream-style transcendence.

That’s not to say Deliverance is a bad record. Far from it. There’s enough melody and pulsating sonic textures on here to please anybody. Somehow, it comes across as transitional; not quite embracing glitterball pop elements but not going fall ball experimental weirdness, either. As a result, it ends up feeling a bit non-committal overall. Which is kind of ironic, considering what Hung was going for with the lyrics.