Owing much – maybe everything – to the glossily escapist end of the 80s pop spectrum, the debut album from Toronto four-piece Diana is an occasionally beguiling recreation of the era. Throughout, retro drum sounds, overblown guitar and sax solos, synths and hiccupping female vocals appear amid the dense and lush textures; strain your ears and you can almost hear suit jacket sleeves being rolled up. While there are sublime moments – Born Again locates the midpoint between the Cocteau Twins and Avalon-era Roxy Music; closing instrumental Curtains is blissfully unhurried – too often style wins out over substance.
