After a bright start, shadowy Zomby’s career has been stuttering for some time, victim to diminishing returns and an outspoken Twitter persona that often overshadows the music.
Ultra – a return to Kode9's Hyperdub after a spell on 4AD, and last year's pair of underwhelming EPs on XL – does little to turn the tide.
Mercifully not as bloated as 2013's With Love, Ultra nevertheless lacks the concision and coherence of Where Were U In 92? or Dedication – his first two wildly different records.
Informed by grime and drum and bass, much of Ultra is strangely bloodless, not least the disappointing Burial collaboration Sweetz; and he leans much too heavily on the trebly arpeggios that have become his trademark, but which now sound old-hat.
The gorgeous HER is a lush oasis in a record that's short on both inspiration and energy.
