After two critically acclaimed albums, numerous mini-albums, EPs and singles, London-based trio Girls In Synthesis return with their new statement, third album proper 'Sublimation'. If you thought you knew GIS, think again_ they have moved on and created a dark and intense, yet melodic, collection of songs; their take on an angular pop record. Opener 'Lights Out' is split into two distinct sections; the opening a Barrett-esque vocal and guitar lament to sleep deprived anxiety which morphs, via a 'Faust Tapes' influenced freeform noise section, into a stomping, high intensity closing blitz. Songs as 'Deceit', 'We Are Here' and 'Picking Things Out Of The Air' see the group at their most melodic, minimising some of the chaotic noise elements of their signature sound and bringing to the fore impassioned, soaring vocals and keys melodies. Their trademark driving drums & bass is particularly evident on tracks 'I Judge Myself' and 'Corrupting Memories', but is counterbalanced by intense, early goth influenced keyboard lines, bringing influences from late 1970s/early 1980s into focus with the contemporary GIS intensity. Slow-burning tracks 'I Was Never There' and 'The Prefix' build up tension and atmosphere with sparse arrangements and circular, spiralling outros, while closer 'A Damning Lesson' sees the band return to their intense, bludgeoning wall of sound only to send it into a blur of echoing drum machine, reminiscent of the early work of Cabaret Voltaire. Next chapter, next step for sure.