6/10

Throughout his near twenty year career, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke has proven himself as one of the most versatile and chameleonic artists working today. While finding form and favour as one of the most iconic indie-rock outfits in recent memory, he has also found himself success as a solo artist, adopting a broad and usually electronic aesthetic that has allowed him to break through the confirmative shackles of his former self. But after a year in an isolated state, he is now looking for the next direction to take his sound as he delivers his fifth solo LP 'The Wave Pt.1'.

In the build up to this release, Kele regularly reminded us that this would be his first truly solo effort. While his previous records have always had a team of professionals working around him, the last year locked away from everyone he held dear forced him to create a body of work completely alone, allowing him to bear his soul like never before. And while 'The Waves Pt. 1' makes for an interesting venture into the creative mind of Kele, there are some moments that don't quite gel as well as they should, leaving a number of areas feeling like incomplete ideas that still needed time to nurture and grow.

But while it may not be solid gold from start to finish, 'The Waves Pt. 1' still showcases plenty of his proficient and progressive side, trying out newer concepts in order to keep the energy of the release as fresh as possible. It may not be the album we were hoping for, but still shows that his explorative spark is still undiminished.