7/10

After departing from Vampire Weekend earlier last year to pursue his solo ambitions, Rostam Batmanglij has barely kept still. Delivering a flurry of singles straight out of the park last year, as well as a collaborative album with The Walkmen frontman Hamilton Leithauser, the singer-producer now looks to complete his first major milestone as a fully-fledged solo artist with 'Half-Light', an electro-infused indie-rock release which sounds quite a lot like his former band.

It may be because of his familiar voice, but when you first switch on to 'Half-Light', you can't help but compare its sound to that of Vampire Weekend. The record's opening singles 'Sumer' and 'Bike Dream' are the quintessential reimagining of his former outfit, but gladly he does like to mix it up a bit on the rest of this release. Creating a familiar tone, but ultimately pressing his own stamp onto his chosen direction and giving the listener a more lucid experience of his own work.

It may have the odd duff track here and there, but overall, 'Half-Light' is a thoroughly enjoyable release. With Batmanglij's own strained vocal performance remaining the one catalyst that binds these songs together, the record manages to engage with us throughout and give us something that Vampire Weekend fans will still approve of.