47

Japanese Super Shift’s ’47’ is an unexpectedly emotional album. The record, which marks the newest creation from producer-instrumentalist Stefnir Gunnarsson, offers a healthy mix of dance-y instrumentals and mature, lyrical songs, representing a multifaceted album that feels as though it could fuel an entire evening, from the first drink to the sombre walkhome. The lyrics are thoughtful and well-crafted, and a comforting break from what we have been trained to expect from contemporary electronic music.

Stefnir’s production chops begin to warm up four tracks into the album with “Voxotronic,” a nearly four-minute epic of drum-and-bass-heavy lurching, reminiscent of something a far more confident, far less heartbroken James Murphy would be capable of constructing.

The tightly sequenced beats and cloudy lead vocals evoke my only real reservations regarding ‘47,’ and leave me wishing that Stefnir would have loosened the grid and chosen to share his lyrics with the same ardor with which he presents his compositions.