I was a late-comer to Polica’s stunning debut Give You the Ghost. I bought it as a treat to myself after one of my last university exams in January of this year, and immediately regretted waiting almost a year to experience the record. It was an almost perfect debut, and pleasingly, the second album from the Minnesota group follows quite distinctly in its formidable footsteps, while still retaining a very clear identity as an LP in its own right, unique and distinct from the act it’s trying to follow.

From the outset, Shulamith imposes the fact that it’s going to possess the same power as its predecessor but in a very different way. It is, quite, simply, a wonderful record. It’s full of surprises, even after several listens, with each track bringing something new to the table but in an incredibly accomplished manner.

Its opener “Chain My Name” immediately suggests that the group have taken a more pop direction, making an incredibly forceful impact with its bright synths and a more distinct chorus than on other songs, grabbing one’s attention and refusing to let go. The distorted vocals on “Vegas” however basically negate the idea of this being a pop record, with more leftfield instrumentation and experimentation, creating something less accessible than some of its catchier counterparts, while “Spilling Lines” introduces a beat that’s more akin to house or trance than anything else.

“I Need $”, approaches the pop aesthetic again later on the record, with its repeated refrain of “I need money”, which employs a much simpler vocal melody than is found in other songs. Indeed, it’s easy to imagine parts of the melody being sung by any of the current crop of pop starlets dominating the charts, but the ambition in the instrumental arrangements, like the slightly jarring cross rhythms found across the different parts, keep it feeling so much more fresh and interesting than anything finding its way to the top 10 at the moment. Lead single “Tiff” features Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, his famous falsetto fitting in perfectly with Poliça ’s hazy synths and blends beautifully with Channy Leaneagh’s voice, with a powerful drum and a heavy bass providing a brilliant contrast to the dreamy vocal.

The intricacy in each track gives just a hint at the skill of the band as songwriters, each element perfectly thought out and blended with others to create something sensational. The beginning of “Very Cruel”, with layers building up on each other to a fantastic crescendo, demonstrates this perfectly. Each part is introduced at exactly the right moment, whether it’s the bass riff, the intense synth lines or the simple drumbeat, all coming together to create an amazing mass of intricacies before dropping back towards the end of the song and then rebuilding.

“Matty”, is a gentler turn, more reflective, with everything much more stripped back than on other parts of the record. Rather than building up, like they do elsewhere, each part is almost isolated for a large portion of the song, before exploding and all coming together in an incredibly powerful climax.

Shulamith provides exactly what you want from a second Poliça album; it’s incredibly fresh and exciting, but still a reminder of what you loved so much the first time round.