Some of the sultry sounds of Pillar Point may sound familiar. These moody, melancholic electronic offerings come from Scott Reitherman – figurehead of US indie-pop outfit Throw Me The Statue – and although this self-titled effort from his latest project is his first under this current title, the sound has been under construction for some time.

Reinventions can very often go one of two ways – good or horrendously bad – but Pillar Point’s eponymous debut is far better than just good; its honed, matured and fermented soundscapes offer an intriguing escape from the more honeyed textures of Throw Me The Statue. This project succeeds in offering a much more intimate journey than anything Reitherman’s previously attempted, the downcast, melancholic and lyrically rich offerings of the album separating it further from any prior works.

The splitting off from something outlived has catalysed something new, and the industrial smog and gloom-soaked hues of Pillar Point are completely juxtaposed to the saturated sounds of Reitherman’s previous indie-pop musings. The industrial dance aesthetic offers something less palpable, less middle of the road and far, far more interesting. “Writing darker songs with dance elements helped me to process the confusion and change I was experiencing in my own life because within the confines of a pop song I could control little moments of clarity and redemption”, he himself says, giving further explanation to this decidedly murkier outing.

Beginning the album “Diamond Mine” starts with sharp, stabbing progressions of sodden synth, lavish bass and vocals not dissimilar to that of Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, which remain a constant throughout. “Eyeballs” offers a haunting, pensive reflection on solitude, which wouldn’t sit uncomfortably next to early Depeche Mode that’s most startling at its beginning with those rich, clashing and disparate keys. “Cheery” offers a take on gothic 80’s electro pop, fit for a vampiric reworking of Scarface – saturated and bright, but with a grotesque and shadowed visage, it contemplates the flabbergasted feeling of a youngster deciding what to do with their lives. “Strangers In Paradise” offers more industrial electronica, while “Dreamin” and album closer “Echoes” bring us more ethereal, opulent and hook laden chants.

It’s an expertly constructed change in shape for Reitherman, moving him seamlessly from the bright and sparkling world of his former band’s sound to the moody electro-pop of his current. These nine rich, full and thoughtful electronic musings are arguable his best work yet.