Adding to his jam-packed discography, releases his fourth studio album, ‘4 Dear Life’ – his attempt to find hope and relief in a politically and economically unstable world through seeking out community, partying and connection.

‘4 Dear Life’ comes three years after Dapperton’s indie-pop album, ‘Henge’. Taking a step away from infectious hooks and glistening pop production, Dapperton moves into unchartered territory with an album that sounds different to his past offerings.

The first track, ‘Take Me Out To The Disco’, encapsulates the very idea of the record  with the first words Dapperton sings being a desperate plea – ‘please release my mind from these outrageous wars’. This track begins with a minute of menacing vocals and a sinister drum beat that reverberates through your skull, until bursting into a massive chorus, showcasing his impressive vocal range while expressing his desire to dance the pain away.

Dapperton leans heavily into electronica and dance music in the following tracks – ‘Sweet Tooth’ featuring and ‘Holding On’ ft A.Trak firmly belong in a club, played out of a speaker with too much bass, hypnotically beckoning partygoers over to the dancefloor.

Oscillating between dance tracks and indie-pop tunes, ‘Place Beyond The Pines’ and ‘Queen’, are Dapperton’s nod to the genre he mastered, before he bounces back into his newfound experimental sound with ‘PHD Rockstar’, a synthy hip-hop inspired ode to his girlfriend – “humble, patient / that’s what I’m craving / shawty makes me wanna spend all my savings…”

Dapperton’s fourth album, ‘4 Dear Life’ offers eleven upbeat tracks that you can’t help but dance to, with hopes of listeners finding some relief within the sonics along the way.

7/10