The previous album from Popstrangers, Antipodes, was a grizzled attention-grabber produced from their Auckland base. Their latest album polishes their sound in accordance with their big shift to London. Fortuna reveals the trio’s pop sound to be less Flying Nun, more Britpop – the classic ‘60s ilk as much as the more recent kind. The arm-waving chorus of Her is particularly reminiscent of UK ‘90s indie pop.
The wide embrace of past and present settles somewhere between the wide-eyed jangle of Smith Westerns and the psychedelic indie rock of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, though the mixed outcome suggests it’s an assemblage that needs to go one way or the other.
Some songs play on dynamics to great effect and these make for the most memorable moments: sluggish verses with chugging guitars grind against softer, simpler choruses with disarming pauses on Don’t Be Afraid, while final song What’s On Your Mind? has a deliciously dark streak and a satisfying dose of psychedelic as it builds. On the other hand, offhand thrashers Distress and Right Babies fall a little flat.
Fortuna sounds like a transitional album, as if the band are still settling into their new home – and still settling into a sound that works for them.
BY CHRIS GIRDLER
Best Track: Don’t Be Afraid
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: II UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA, Microcastle DEERHUNTER
In A Word: Unsettled
