Paul Marshall’s follow up to 2010′s The Devil and I, released under the more familiar moniker of Lone Wolf on his own label It Never Rains Records has been partially funded by Pledge Music. The Leeds-based multi-instrumentalist has said that “ is my most honest, my most natural and I think my most accomplished work to date.” This is an album, then, that arrives with high hopes.

Introducing the record is ‘Spies In My Heart’, a sombre foray into electronica with morbid funk bass and elements of post-rock in its gradual incline of layered strands of noise. There are pangs of shrill synths piercing the soft-voiced chorus, and as the track culminates, there’s a realisation that this Lone Wolf is about to unfurl an intimate LP, imbued with the pain of loneliness and choruses that’ll remain in your ears eternally. One such infectious cut is ‘Butterfly’, opening with a hint of ‘Lullaby‘ by The Cure in the oddly lilting guitar, fragile and otherworldly. The real wonder to behold occurs in the final third, when an indie-gospel breakdown occurs; it’s dark, gleeful and ominous.

The whole album takes a different direction from his self-described and macabre “death balladry” – focusing instead upon inner demons and the quarrels in the mind with differing aspects of the psyche. The folk has largely fizzled out – Marshall has told of a very conscious decision to veer away from acoustic guitars and piano, using layered samples and central percussion to stride off into unexplored territory. Leaving the well-trodden path is a risky move, full of potential slip-ups and it has the potential to alienate a loyal fanbase. But, as Mariachi El Bronx/The Bronx have found, it can be an intensely rewarding gamble. Marshall fortunately is able to lounge smugly in the knowledge that his decision to venture in the unknown was a marvellous one.

‘The Swan Of Meander’ trickles through a creek of mechanical percussion, not unlike Underworld at the Olympic opening ceremony (but probably less melodramatic). There’s considerably more guitar, and it would appear that Marshall has been taking tips from previous tour mates Wild Beasts in creating dreamy indie-rock. There’s a true charm in the delicate melodies, and as the first official cut from The Lovers, it stands up as a cracking taste of what’s on offer. The final track on the brisk nine-track record is the title track, led by bass guitar and the occasional echoing thwack of snare. It’s skeletal in its approach to Marshall’s themes, with subtle instrumentation and minimal harmony. However, it stands out as a track indicative of what Marshall is trying to get across with the album – emanating from a mind wracked with conflict, be it his own or a character’s.

Lone Wolf has sculpted a brilliant, understated third long-player, with thought-provoking subject matter in the lyrics, undeniably catchy choruses and a sprawling array of new musical flavours to wrap your chops around. It’s not clear yet whether this is an indication of Lone Wolf’s future direction, or whether he will stumble back into folky death songs. Maybe he’ll steer the project in an entirely different direction. Whatever he chooses, his fans are surely going to support him, and with an album as strong as The Lovers, they’ll have faith in anything he decides to do.

Listen to The Lovers