In 2010 Abbe May moved on from her regular backing band, The Rockin’ Pneumonia, to work on her first solo album. The West Australian singer-guitarist takes up with drummer Cameron Avery (who would later play bass in Tame Impala), bassist Clint Oliver and guitarist KT Rumble for 2011’s Design Desire. May exchanges the more traditional blues-based approach of earlier albums in favour of a diverse sound that delves into spacious, downbeat and ominous territory (the hypnotic “Carolina”) while also owing a significant debt to dirgy rock’n’roll. It’s on proud display in the slinky, growling “Mammalian Locomotion” and the stomping opening title track, which highlights the obsession May had at the time with writing scaling riffs. By contrast, “Blood River” is a haunting piano-based song as desolate and sorrowful as its title suggests, segueing into closer “Pog”, an instrumental that recalls the atmospheric, sombre soundtracks composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Despite dwelling in such disparate sonic locations, May brings it all together into one cohesive whole, each song connected by its honesty and singular artistic focus.