7/10

If you’ve ever wondered what it sounds like when a chart-topping indie-pop architect unchains himself from genre, 'Many Faces' is your answer. Best known as one half of Capital Cities, Sebu steps out solo with an album that looks to completely erase the boundaries of his aesthetic to date.

'Many Faces' is a shapeshifting mixtape of Sebu’s inner world. Each track feels like its own universe, yet they all orbit the same gravitational centre. From the moment 'Look At Me Now' kicks in, you know you’re not in feel-good radio-pop territory anymore as he dives headfirst into a psychedelic haze that’s part post-club comedown, part lucid dream.

Then comes 'Edge of Nowhere', a thumping, sweat-slicked ride where THCSRS lay down a distorted disco groove that wouldn’t feel out of place in a cyberpunk chase scene. It’s a rebellious anthem for adrenaline junkies, flickering between polished and primal. While one of the album’s most poignant moments comes with Sebu’s tender, piano-led take on 'Space Oddity'. The fact that the 1889 Steinway used for the recording was lost in a fire adds a ghostly resonance to the track.

What ties this wild ride together is the artist's fearless commitment to exploration. From glitchy heartbreak to cosmic ballads, jazz-funk joyrides to distorted art-pop, he never plays it safe. There’s a wink behind the curtain, and a sense that every track was built with equal parts craft and chaos.

For listeners craving unpredictability wrapped in velvet hooks, Sebu’s 'Many Faces' is both a detour from his past and the sound of an artist finally opening all the doors at once.