THE FUTURE BITES

Though the preceding To the Bone saw Steven Wilson pivoting from a prog revivalist approach to something more akin to the progressive pop of crossover artists like Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush, even that couldn't have prepared listeners for the left turn into full-on synthpop offered up on The Future Bites.

In retrospect, the logic behind this has become somewhat clearer. It would have been around now that the gradual, careful sessions for the Porcupine Tree reunion album Closure/Continuation would have been coming to fruition - so with his old outlet for his prog instincts coming back into service, Wilson was freed up to concentrate on other musical inspirations in his solo career.

Impeccably produced as always, this isn't cheap, sleazy, straightforward synthpop either - it's spacey, tripped-out, paranoid, and out-of-left-field synthpop which adventurerous listeners will find a lot to like in, and which sounds absolutely bang up to date and modern. If you genuinely only find Steven Wilson interesting when he's being retro, then you'll probably not be took keen on this. On the other hand, if "Steven does synthwave" sounds like a thing that would appeal, then you are in for a serious treat - and for my part, I'm in the latter camp.