by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

“I wanted to create something that feels freeing,” says Hans-Peter Lindstrøm about his latest album. “Music that lifts you up but also has depth—something that resonates emotionally and physically.” This is after a comparatively heavy previous album Everyone Else Is A Stranger, which – like 2019s On A Clear Day I Can See You Forever – saw him operating within bigger structures. For Sirius Syntoms he takes something of a ‘back to basics’ approach.

What’s the music like?

Lindstrøm’s latest is more of a stripped back affair, focusing on grooves and individual synth lines with less evidence of the airy pads he has used so effectively on previous albums. Yet it works really well, and sounds like it was a lot of fun to make. This sense of fun runs through all the instrumental tracks, with the breezy Cirkl a highlight, while Thousand Island Man is full of the joys with plenty of play between the synth parts. Lindstrøm brings a nice house piano and bird-like synth calls to These Are A Few Of My Favourite Strings, while the title track closes things out with an infectious groove, with a riff that reeks of Dan Hartman’s Relight My Fire.

Does it all work?

Pretty much. There is nothing radically new in Lindstrøm’s approach this time around, but equally the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ adage applies itself well.

Is it recommended?

It is. For an album of feelgood electronic music, you don’t have to look much further!

For fans of… Prins Thomas, Mr Scruff, Lemon Jelly, Todd Terje

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,558 – Sunday 8 June 2025