ALBUM REVIEW: The Cathode Ray – Heightened Senses

Stereogram Recordings

Released: 01.11.19

The Cathode Ray return after with a strikingly close connection to The Pet Shop Boys on this, their third album. Partly driven by the sound of their pop-tastic electronics, and partly by the delicacy of the bass lines, the principle driving force of Heightened Senses is the singing/narrating delivery style of vocalist Jeremy Thoms, which branches us into the witty/intellectual Neil Tennant territory. 

Standouts Love And Death and A Difference of Opinion, both electronic tracks augmented by live instruments, shine in their ability to make happy sounding songs about difficult themes; both of which presenting The Cathode Ray as competent songwriters in the style of their influencers.  

A few near-misses (Days Away, The Past is a Foreign Land) which aim high but fall short, put intellect before pop and suggest that the band’s winning combination is when they mix equal parts pop and art.