THIS is Swedish synth-poppers Little Dragon’s fourth album and the follow-up to the breakthrough Ritual Union in 2011. But it’s that year’s collaboration with DJ Shadow, Scale It Back, that signposted the band’s new trip hop sound in evidence here that leaves behind standard dance beats for more experimental soundscapes.

There’s still plenty of bite with frontwoman Yukimi Nagano’s sweet vocals honey-coating some alarmingly barbed lyrics, especially on Mirror, and Klapp Klapp is driven by a primal thwack of drums and grinding synths. This is clever, sometimes scary pop. The four-piece even manage to inject the cool Kraftwerk-like spareness of track Paris with a chorus as warm as a hug from the girl of your dreams. Their best yet.

Mark Edwards