NAVIGATING their way through trends, upheavals, regime changes, label disbandment and so much more, one thing that can’t be contested about Primal Scream is that they’re an undeniably versatile outfit.

With Bobby Gillespie guiding the way through a whirlwind career that’s reached levels of unfathomable critical acclaim at various junctures and a band in possession of a musical palette that’s constantly re-generating, there’s a level of mystery which surrounds a new release from Primal Scream which is quite unlike any other.

Whilst the vast majority of  artists have a set of parameters, Primal Scream’s career has been one of defying convention, submitting to their impulsive musical urges and giving each period its own very distinct identity.

That is precisely what we’ve got in Chaosmosis, the band’s first full length outing since 2013’s More Light and one which has yet again changed the course of their career with a barrage of inviting electropunk and synth pop.

While much of the album subverts from previously established norms, opening track ‘Trippin’ On Your Love’ is a wonderful return to the blissful hedonism of the classic Screamadelica era. Featuring various tropes that were popularised by acid house alongside uplifting backing vocals, brazen guitar parts and a remarkable vocal delivery from Gillespie, it’s certainly an effective way of reminding fans of just how cathartic The Scream can be at the top of their game.

Filled with fidgety synths, incessant drums and an air of icy discontent, ‘Feeling Like A Demon Again’ has its roots in 80’s synth pop and yet feels entirely fresh when presented by the band. Breathing vitality into a musical realm which is often bastardised yet rarely expanded, it proves that the band’s chameleonic tendencies remain doubtlessly intact.

Unveiled mere days ago, ‘I Can Change’ is a twisted ode to a love affair gone sour and very much in line with the emotionally fraught nature of the album’s lyricism. A departure from the pace of the last two tracks yet one which displays a set of intoxicating rhythms, vibrant synths and bewildered organ, Bobby Gillespie is left in a state of malaise by the hardship of such a break-up and laments over his past indiscretions by stating “Drink and drugs, self-destruct, Slept with death, molded love.”

Teased in the album’s initial trailer, “100% Or Nothing” sees LA trio Haim lend their beautiful vocal fusion to a resilient, percussion-laden rallying cry, something that fans were treated to during 2013’s Glastonbury performance on the Pyramid Stage. Opening with a stark and despondent guitar riff before it is besieged by a cavalcade of electronica and thumping rhythms, it is a track which touches upon the righteous abrasion of albums such as More Light without becoming overcome with anger.

A notable change in direction yet not one that’s unwelcome, ‘Private Wars’ is a tender acoustic number which preaches the acceptance of love and departing from hate, an idea which is perpetuated throughout much of the record’s earlier tracks. Featuring Rachel Zeffira of Cats Eyes, the addition of mandolin to the mix and the track’s contemplative nature is a nice sequester from the album’s pulsating beats and electronic wizardry.

Speaking of which, first single ‘Where The Light Gets In‘ is a colourful slice of electro pop which pairs fizzling electronica with brief flashes of distorted and manipulated guitar. Featuring gorgeous vocal interplay from Gillespie and guest vocalist Sky Ferreira, it’s a track that seems destined to be a mainstay among their live sets for years to come and taps into a level of  acceptance of life’s foibles and injustices which isn’t commonplace in their material.

Straying away from the contented outlook of many tracks and plunging into the digitally informed punk that typifies their legendary XTRMNTR period, ‘When The Black Cat Meets The Falllout’ is a relapse into the all-consuming and entirely dystopian outlook which they’ve only briefly alluded to until this stage.

Marrying entrancing synth lines with jaunty piano and a restrained vocal take from Gillespie, ‘Carnival Of Fools’ is a bewitching effort which dips back into the more introspective side of the record whilst accompanied by a confounding 8-bit refrain.

Featuring the album’s most outwardly aggressive guitar work and a sinister use of percussion that serves to overwhelm its listener and spur the track forward, ‘Golden Rope’ is wrought with allusions to religious imagery and is one of the album’s unhinged moments. Featuring utterly demonic saxophone that seems as though it may usher in the end of days, ‘Golden Rope’ overflows with unrest, both internal and in the disingenuous world which they see all around them.

Venturing back into the synth-led territory which will likely be remembered as the defining sound of the album, ‘Autumn In Paradise’ is a rich and entrancing affair which sees Gillespie waxing lyrical about the domesticated horrors which can be seen in any bustling inner-city. Claiming that: “There’s a white carnation growing in a garden overgrown” and down the street are broken families, dreams are in the trash, a father begs forgiveness but it’s much too late for that,” the bleak world view which was compiled within 2013’s More Light returns upon this vigorous tracks and ends what began as an optimistically minded record on a bleak, despondent note.

Setting out in high spirits before climaxing in a downtrodden yet entirely lucid fashion, it appears that the Chaosmosis which the album title refers to is the very fabric of our lives in this modern society and the record’s trajectory parallels this beautifully. An album which undoubtedly adds to the immensely varied catalogue of music that’s accredited to the Primal Scream name, it’s a musical journey to immerse yourself in and an entirely rewarding one at that.