Advance Base - A Shut In's Prayer

(Tomlab)

Still singing in his trademark low-energy, just-woken-up vocal, one listen to this new record and Owen Ashworth's cover will be blown immediately when heard by fans of his now-retired project, the cult heartbreak-pop of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone.

Despite the new alias - Advance Base - and a more layered production than CFTPA's mechanic Casio beats, all the hallmarks are still there. The bruised longing, the nostalgia, the domestic details and romanticism ("I still believe I can love the best"). He's grown up since starting CFTPA in his twenties (he's 35 now) but still sounds like a soft-centred teenager, in no hurry to rush any emotional or musical 'advancing'. But still, it's very good news if you just want more of the same from him.