Taking their time to craft a worthy follow-up to their impressive debut, "Variations", Paulson have returned with an offering that is even more wistful and full of creative yearning. Having now found themselves a home on the One Day Savior roster following the collapse of Initial, the group remain true to the sound that they so gracefully introduced themselves with.

Bleak dreamy soundscapes are populated with sparse fragile guitar licks and jangling chords. Mopey vocals contain a sense of despondent hope as they melodically explore inner emotions. Stripping away the vocoder and most of the electronic overtones that encompassed their past release, the music now unabashedly bares its humble soul.

What remains the same though is the bands busy rhythm section, which usually sees an upbeat drum and bass like percussion mixed alongside beefy rigid bass lines. Essentially these two instruments anchor and set the tempo for the much of the material on hand. The way the group are able to so charmingly bring all these collectively elements to life is almost earnest enough to make like-minded outfits such as Engine Down and dredg envious.

Deceptively stark, the music's subtle layering becomes appreciated after repeated listens, slowly unfolding - rather than overwhelming the listener from the start. Ultimately though, there are a few tracks during the second half of the effort that seem a bit too dreary and don't necessarily captivate. But the stunning musicianship and lush dynamics that constitute songs like "Voids" and "Ultra-High" more than make up for them.