Gabe Gurnsey impressed with Physical, which took his talent for nagging grooves to euphoric heights he hadn't explored with Factory Floor. His second full-length, Diablo, is similarly in keeping with his previous work and a departure from it. As always, Gurnsey certainly knows how to structure a track: "I Love a Sea on Fire," which balances translucent tones and Tilly Morris' playful vocals in a hazy pulse, couldn't be more different from the sleekly insistent "Blessings," but they share the impeccably layered arrangements ...
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Gabe Gurnsey impressed with Physical, which took his talent for nagging grooves to euphoric heights he hadn't explored with Factory Floor. His second full-length, Diablo, is similarly in keeping with his previous work and a departure from it. As always, Gurnsey certainly knows how to structure a track: "I Love a Sea on Fire," which balances translucent tones and Tilly Morris' playful vocals in a hazy pulse, couldn't be more different from the sleekly insistent "Blessings," but they share the impeccably layered arrangements and drive that have defined his music since Factory Floor. He leans further into Physical's sensuality and pop influences on Diablo, embellishing the techno and house underpinnings of his approach with bits of 2000s electroclash and '80s synth pop, and the electro toms and not-quite-robotic vocals on "Hey Diablo'' will give fans of those styles deja vu. His creative and romantic partner Morris plays a bigger role than she did on Gurnsey's debut, and their chemistry is frequently electric. Her alluring vocals are an integral part of tracks such as "You Remind Me" and the sexy album-opener "Push" instead of feeling like another texture as they sometimes did on Physical. The way the pair weave bona fide verses and choruses into Diablo's expansive excursions harks back to old-school 12" remixes of pop songs; similarly, Gurnsey switches between moods and tempos with the flow of an inspired DJ set. The seamless shifts from vaporously catchy numbers like "Give Me" and "So Sweet" to harder-hitting cuts such as the '90s throwback "Higher Estates" cast a transporting spell until the producer closes the album with "To the Room"'s gauzy atmospheres. At every turn, Diablo puts pleasure front and center, and it's a lot of fun to hear Gurnsey reimagine what gets the dancefloor moving. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
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