Joshua O’Donnell’s versatile singing was a key feature of Banks Arcade’s 2022 debut Future Lovers, and he covers even more ground on this follow-up. O’Donnell rips through intense screams on the opening “MOVE”, before adopting a much more melodic delivery on the very next track, “DON’T MISS”. Further along on the album, he moves closer to rap-worthy bravado and R&B-style sensitivity, all while the Auckland-formed, Melbourne-based band broaden their thrashing metalcore with subtler electronic textures. Such contrasts provide a striking backdrop for O’Donnell’s pointed lyrics, whether he’s downright fuming on “000” or hitting a more brooding tone on “MIRROR”: “You always brought out the worst in me/You took away everything.” A certain degree of vehemence is natural for a band forged in metalcore, but Banks Arcade display an equal adeptness with open space and ambient softness here. Rather than hitting as hard as possible as often as possible, they mine dramatic richness in the atmospheric gaps between outbursts.