The euphoric rush of "Love Comes in Waves" sounds every bit like what fans might expect from 's first proper solo release. As co-leader of shoegaze legends and a latter-day member of -- not to mention the post- project -- the Welshman has remained a steady fixture of the U.K. rock scene since the 1990s, collaborating with numerous different artists, though never striking out on his own until now. A pleasing amalgam of propulsive uptempo shoegaze, misty psych-pop, and layered acoustic songwriting, offers an attractive compendium of 's accumulated strengths. His 2019 emergence as the shadowy producer behind the electronic project preceded this more organic song-based release, though his affinity for tight rhythms and interesting textures cuts a through-line between both solo projects. As with opener "Love Comes in Waves," tracks like "Indica" and "Skywalker" are rich in melody and rippling guitar riffs that loop across a familiar-sounding shoegaze landscape which he helped pioneer in the early '90s. Most of the album's tracks ebb and flow in gently hypnotic swells, usually ranging between four and six minutes in length without outstaying their welcome. Elements of 's Brit-pop days with and are also present, but perhaps owing to 's 2015 re-formation and subsequent embrace of shoegaze by a younger generation, it's the dreamier side of his approach that dominates . Other standouts include the enchanting finger-picked "Ghost Tones," the hooky low-key pop of "Cherry Cola," and the ethereal -esque "I Was Alone." ~ Timothy Monger