- It’s been a solid two years since Melburnian two-piece Superstar released their debut effort A Toast To Superstar. That debut was long awaited, recorded a couple of years before its 2013 release through Bedroom Suck, and Esther Edquist and Kieran Hegarty have made us wait patiently again for this subsequent release, Table For Two. The duo may be slow but they sure aren’t lazy, to which the elegant layers of glacial, spiralling synths and clean, crisp beats on Table for Two will attest.

The six tracks have come far from the improvisational nature of the duo in its infancy – indeed, it’s the song structure that provides a solid backbone for the lovely, crystalline texturing of synths, guitars, percussion and Edquist’s ethereal vocals. Having said that, rest assured that Superstar have retained their inventive aesthetic, evident as each layer comes forth and retreats, moving and shifting throughout – no track comes in under four minutes, providing ample time for this ambient evolution. Compared to the glassy, muted sounds on A Toast To Superstar, Table for Two is a brighter, cleaner affair, far more mature, sophisticated and detailed, and ultimately, more satisfying.

Table for Two immediately calls to mind a sense of wide open spaces, of roads untravelled, change of seasons and new bonds forming. Each element of each song exists fully in its own space, interacting with every other without clashing or overwhelming, something which the group have clearly made an effort to improve upon since their early shows. Although the overall effect is lush, extended listening emphasises the sparse, effective nature of the base composition – a bit of an oxymoron I know, but impressive, emotive and very difficult to describe!

Opening track Cool Memories is a slow burner, featuring a field recording of a rainstorm over which some kind of mallet instrument plays a wandering melody. Guitar and string synths follow suit, but it’s over four minutes until Edquist’s vocals enter the mix, and it’s really them that make you sit up and take notice. Her restrained yet highly expressive strains give one a feeling of restlessness, and are reminiscent of Cocteau Twins or, in their more forceful moments, of Stevie Nicks. Third track Glistening Bliss could be the soundtrack to a love scene on Twin Peaks with its building, blissed-out pads and mournful/hopeful lyrics, while fourth track Intermission is a personal favourite.

Table for Two is an exercise in elegant, sober synth-pop, poised and delicate. If Superstar continue this evolution of their sound, a two year wait until their next release will be bloody difficult, but so worth it.

- Hayley Elliott-Maclure.