This album is a thudding, bumping, stuttering rumination on life as experienced by Te Papa-i-Oea electronica act Synthetic Children, real name Ce Goacher.

The title track which opens the 7-track album is glued together with some gorgeous, writhing, glitchy synth bass and rather spooky strings over the jumpy percussion. From this unsettling almost-instrumental Synthetic Children slide into the thought-provoking Body. At 6min 41 this is the longest of several lengthy tracks, and is more straightforward rhythmically, indeed almost disco in places – though this only provides the backdrop to a spoken word performance centred on dysphoria. ‘Something in between, unimaginable and currently confusing’ state the lyrics.

This glitch-heavy track bares everything to the listener and will likely resonate with many.

Witness To CBT builds and builds before abruptly finishing with a cat’s purr. According to the liner notes this is ‘a memorial for Tom, my beloved cat.’ Aaaargh! Synthetic Children, we feel for you! Thankfully for our poor, bludgeoned hearts, the second half of the album is more playful and upbeat.

By the time we get to Bad Way To God, samples are flitting across your consciousness as the electronic beats pound into your skull. Featuring Impress, Dreams Come Thru closes out in an almost playful, upbeat instrumental mode.

As well as assembling tracks with various tempos and feels, Synthetic Children collaborates with a few different artists on this release, which adds some tasty garnishes to the degustation. Hayden Sinclair and Josh Finegan are some of the stalwart names also lending a hand.

Recommended for techno fans who are in a reflective mood and willing to go on a bit of an ambient musical journey.