Junior Boys’ fourth album, It’s All True, caps the blue-eyed electro-soul outfit’s metamorphosis into a duo whose electronic pop is composed for the bedroom rather than in it. The deep bass synth that opens “Itchy Fingers” screams slinky seduction, and as the fidgety pulse quickens, Jeremy Greenspan’s breathy vocals leave little room for interpretation as to where things are heading. Fittingly, “Playtime” follows, dimming the lights via a syrupy slow mix of glistening synth and goopy keys. The track’s resonant spaciousness feels like a clear nod to James Blake, but the castoff, undone-collar vibes are pure Simply Red. The ’80s rears up elsewhere, in the Prince-like funk of “You’ll Improve Me” and the flange-swathed guitars of “ep.” But every roughed-up allusion to the past is accompanied by a slew of high-gloss futurisms.
Though Greenspan and Matt Didemus are increasingly mastering mood, Junior Boys has long been a gilded name in aural standards. The mostly wordless, darkly danceable “Kick The Can” affirms this as much as “Banana Ripples,” a nine-minute burst of sunshine that’s more dynamic and musical than anything the group’s ever done. Elsewhere, It’s All True runs the risk of feeling samey, but the album never gets sleepy, which should settle any debate over its function in the boudoir.