Mellis is Marc Ellis (no, not that one) and electronica with a difference. Hailing from Christchurch, this is all Ellis, apart from some guest vocals from Becky Jordan on two tracks – You Still Care (Ellie Goulding-ish) and Pop Shake – and Mark McKenzie on ’90s sounding opener After Life. It’s a curious mix of cyber, pop and retro. With a couple of cheesier moments when the whole thing loses its way a little on Pop Shake and Broken Fridge, saved by the gothic instrumental closer Desolation. I’ve never been a fan of vocodered vocals, and likewise ‘baby-ish’ female vocals – in any genre (sorry Grimes and numerous current others). Aside from that there are some interesting experiments here. Some of it (Ole Sparky), sounds ’80s a la Visage, or ’90s like Erasure/Underworld instrumental Russia. I suspect there’s some vintage synths involved in all this, and the experiments are quirky at the least, if not wholly successful in final execution. At best it’s a mix of moods and moments. Some refinement (and vocals on more tracks) and a greater level of sophistication could have made this really stand out.