London duo Otzeki concoct an intimate and steamy dose of electronica on Now Is a Long Time

A very specific blend of 2-step beats, beckoning androgynous falettos and skeletal guitar lines fill every corner of this record. Upon first glance that lack of dynamism makes Now Is a Long Time seem monochrome and cold. But upon multiple visits through your sharpest headphones, these tracks unfurl and unravel in some affecting, graceful and downright sensual ways.

Robert’s garage-infused beats have a clear influence of UK greats like Underworld and Burial, but keep it from feeling regressive or trodden with an insanely detailed, embellished ASMR clarity. Meanwhile, Sharp’s vocals glide and swirl above the clatter feeling like they’re being sung in the most personal way.

Though the record starts well with some '90s club throwbacks like “Max Wells-Demon'' and the irresistibly catchy “unthunk”, it’s deeper into the tracklist where Otzeki pull their greatest tricks. The aptly titled “familiar feeling” stutters and pulsates with hazy nostalgic samples, followed by the quivering tension of “Emotional Retail”, where Sharp’s vocals reach levels of haunting drama you’d expect from a Thom Yorke or even a Bjork. “Remember'' acts as a calm after the storm, leaving final track “Fading Up” to bring a satisfying full circle, returning to the off-beat grooves that kicked the album off.

Everything that made the duo interesting on the debut Binary Childhood is here, just pulled out of it’s twangly art-pop roots and thrusted into dark, hypermodern territory where every pindrop can be heard and looped into the ether. Despite being best heard on a motorway late at night, Now Is a Long Time is one of those records that seems to change the atoms of any room you play it, making it a firm addition to this year's electronica canon.