Love in a synthetic world of transistors and oscillators? Is that even possible? Patricia Hall and her boyfriend Ian Hicks are trying to prove that love is as passionate as sweeping sine waves and synth-pop beats from the late 70s and early 80s. If the cover of their self-titled debut album is any indication, the duo are madly in love and want to share their warm and fuzzy electronic world with you.

Well, it is warm and fuzzy in a way. Soft Metals create some swirling spheres of sound that will melt your face off, but perhaps not quite what Cupid had in mind. ‘Psychic Driving’ is the song that has garnered much attention prior to the release of their debut self titled album, and it typifies what the record stands for. The song introduces the album with a dreamy affair full of spacey synth sounds that build in simple layers and unify with Patricia Hall’s atmospheric vocals. Hall plays the part of a sweet but eerie vocal queen throughout the album, allowing her reverbed voice to float effortlessly over the beat and minimalist synth work. Hicks swirls and sweeps his way to climactic crescendos without overindulging the experience with unnecessary noise.

Soft Metals definitely have their moments, but the album suffers from an identity crisis of sorts. It’s not dark enough to be considered part of the ‘underworld’ of synth – though there are fleeting moments of Tangerine Dream-meets-the early years of The Human League – but the record also lacks the brightness of 80s synth-pop, with virtually no lasting hooks or memorable melodies that latch on to the subconscious. The songs are pleasant enough without them, but the album is not a singing affair.

It’s not really a dancing affair either. The beats are rhythmic, but lack that driving feeling that forces you to lose your inhibitions – ‘The Cold War Melts’ offers the greatest opposition, with its trance-like state reminiscent of vintage Underworld.

Perhaps between the confused or blurred lines of digital and analogue communication, the album is representative of love after all. There is a sort of un-explainable desire to place the album on repeat linking, but time will tell if the feeling is fleeting or a lasting, happy marriage. Do those even exist? Soft Metals might argue they do.