7/10

When Kavinsky was named as the visionary composer behind the soundtrack to the cult 2011 film Drive, he was suddenly thrust into an adoring limelight. His distinctive approach to a more cinematic angle of the French electro movement that was flooding the airwaves at the time was greeted as a breath of fresh air, but then suddenly, he was gone just as quickly as he arrived. Thankfully, that wouldn't be the last we ever hear of him as he returned last year for the first time in nearly a decade, before unveiling his long-awaited sophomore full-length 'Reborn', a record that looks to reinvent himself for the modern ear.

While it has been nine years since his first studio album 'Outrun', Kavinsky has such a strong grasp over his direction, it nearly feels like hardly any time has lapsed at all. Bringing back more of that calm and haunted electronic base to his work, he aims to return in a more tranquil and atmospheric light. Although this new record does occasionally break into the bold and euphoric direction he cultivated for himself, it largely rests on the shoulders of his more ethereal material, delivering these broad and sprawling soundscapes that see him venture out into sometimes unfamiliar territory.

It may not have arrived with the same insatiable buzz that it's predecessor did, but 'Reborn' still makes for a wonderfully fresh and inventive listen. Continuing that undeniable texture that only he brings to the table, he has pulled off a stellar comeback, brimming with plenty of promise for the years to come.