Album Review: Fryars - Power

British singer-songwriter Benjamin Garrett takes the wraps off this accomplished second Fryars album, five long years after his debut album, Dark Young Hearts.

On the whole, it’s a slick collection of mellow pop songs featuring soft pastel-coloured synths and gentle beats that arrange themselves around Fryars’ introspective lyrics that ache with emotion and heartbreak. Power bristles with memorably strong melodies whether he’s seeking chart action with tracks like Cool Like Me or rather weirdly channeling a young Scott Walker on China Voyage. At his best Fryars excels at crafting private emotions and experiences into polished pop nuggets.