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Mar 30, 2023 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay

It’s hard to believe Ladytron have been making music for nearly a quarter of a century. Particularly as they still sound as if they’ve been delivered from the future, which would explain why they’ve achieved such reverence while attaining a longevity many of their peers could only dream of. They are iconic and influential in equal measures, even if a new Ladytron record is quite rare these days compared to the prolific nature of their output during the first decade of the 2000s.

Nevertheless, all good things are worth the wait and Time’s Arrow most definitely falls into that category. With all four members now scattered around various parts of the globe, it’s perhaps understandable that new music takes a little longer than it may have done in the past. What’s also worth noting is Ladytron have always been perfectionists when it comes to unleashing their wares. Indeed, go back through any of the quartet’s previous releases and you won’t find a single substandard record among them. Which again is testament to their ostentatious nature that only the best will do.

So, coming four years after the last album—2019’s self-titled sixth LP—Time’s Arrow finds the band at their most proficient. The four-piece—Helen Marnie, Mira Aroyo, Daniel Hunt, and Reuben Wu—have an unmistakable chemistry that enables them to explore new boundaries while fusing pop, shoegaze, and ambient textures in their own unique fashion. While Marnie’s and Aroyo’s vocals are often at the forefront, conveying messages of hope (“We Never Went Away”) and throwaway culture (“City of Angels”), it’s on the delicately poised closer and title track or ABBA-esque “Faces” that Time’s Arrow really comes into its own.

Elsewhere, “Misery Remember Me” finds the foursome at their most reflective while “Sargasso Sea” enters David Lynch territory with exhilarating results. Overall, Time’s Arrow is a sturdy representation of business as usual and by all accounts, business is booming. (www.ladytron.com)

Author rating: 8/10