The fifth studio album by British duo Hurts, 2020's Faith is a dusky, slow-burn album that finds singer Theo Hutchcraft and instrumentalist Adam Anderson in a sanguine mood, taking their time to craft measured anthems, rife with an early-'90-inspired goth and industrial production. Having started their career evoking the monochrome intensity of groups like Depeche Mode and New Order, Hurts quickly expanded their approach, embracing an ever more pop-oriented sound, dipping into contemporary R&B, '70s-style disco, and dance music. Produced by Hurts along with Martin Forslund and Joe Janiak, Faith is less upbeat than 2017's Desire and feels closer to their 2010 debut, albeit with a more organic, less claustrophobic aesthetic. The opening "Voices" is a dramatic gospel-inflected number that pairs an earthy acoustic guitar riff with a driving electronic pulse and dynamic backing vocals. Equally compelling is "Suffer," a steamy Nine Inch Nails-sounding cut that spotlights Hutchcraft's knack for dark eroticism as he sings, "Whisper your petty little epithets/And run your fingers down my body like a bayonet." While there's always been a certain level of Krautrock irony at play in Hurts' sound, what's so compelling about it is the way it can become so earnestly emotive on a single heel-turn. Tracks like "Slave to Your Love" with its shimmering orchestral flourishes, and "All I Have to Give" with its uncluttered piano arrangement are sincere ballads that showcase the duo's affinity for grandly romantic, cinematic pop gestures. That said, they aren't afraid to take chances, as on the aptly titled "Fractured," a deconstructed pop jam that sounds like a Janet Jackson song stripped back to vocals, bass drops, and percussion clicks. But despite the fair amount of low-key experimentation on display, Faith still feels, at its core, wonderfully familiar. This isn't an album where Hurts push to subvert their own sound, but there's clearly plenty of inspiration behind it -- divine or otherwise. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

1		Voices
2		Suffer
3		Fractured
4		Slave To Your Love
5		All I Have to Give
6		Liar
7		Somebody
8		Numb
9		Redemption
10		White Horses
11		Darkest Hour

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