This is Papercuts' third album, and it couldn't do a better job of simultaneously thwarting and exceeding expectations. For one thing, the sound of it is completely different from their last release, "Can't Go Back," and in fact feels like a throwback to their first, "Mockingbird." The vocals are buried in the mix, the arrangements are heavy and hazy, the lyrics darker with an apocalyptic, sci-fi bend.
Then there are the songs. Jason Quever's spooky gift for the perfect melancholy melody only gains momentum here, and if the chorus of "The Machine Will Tell Us So" doesn't give you goosebumps, you're just not listening.