After the bolt-out-of-the-blue genius of Simian Ghost’s debut really rather Extended Player Lovelorn a few months back, the Swedish troupe (spearheaded by singer-songwriter Sebastian Arnström) now follow up with the all-new-material Youth: their virgin full-length, but to all intents and purposes that difficult second “album”.

Simian Ghost waste no time in making it very clear with ‘Curtain Call’ that this is a different beast to Lovelorn. Where the latter’s opener was all surging, sparkling synths and pulses of percussion, Youth‘s opening track is a (fantastic) sun-kissed pop song; like a dreamier, sparser Weezer or a more downtempo, chilled out Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. The rest of the album roughly follows suit, almost entirely eschewing the lengthier, broodier build ups and electronic stylings of their previous 7 tracks in favour of gorgeous arpeggios and borderline-background vocals.

In light of which, it’s actually a fairly bold move – albeit in reverse to the way we often expect a band to progress. Simian Ghost definitely have the collective talent to pull it off, and Anström is clearly a very gifted individual. That said, the bulk of the middle third of Youth strays dangerously close to (still) charming but formulaic. With a smattering more of the effortless pop classicism of ‘Curtain Call’ or (unusually, the final two tracks) ‘Crystalline Lovers Mind’ and ‘No Dreams’, which feel more characteristic, Simian Ghost’s second release would have been impeccable.

However, merely “very good”, “accessible” and “a very promising debut album” is hardly much of a misfire. Despite a suspicion that Lovelorn is still a stronger release, and the surprise of the new style, my understanding of the band is enhanced and my curiosity to hear in which direction they head next considerably piqued. If Simian Ghost are still finding themselves – and sounding this good in the process – then it could be one hell of a journey from here.