After the slight misstep of 2014’s inconsistent Love Letters, Summer 08 marks a return to form for the Devon auteur Joseph Mount, and a slick change in direction. Where Love Letters had a scattershot approach to genre, encompassing 60s psyche and Motown, this time Mount focuses tightly on funk-infused pop. Sinuous and slinky, old-school nods to Prince at his most lascivious (“I love sex and I love dancing”), while elsewhere there are moments of genuine pop brilliance, not least the hookup with Robyn, Hang Me Out to Dry, and Night Owl. It runs out of steam towards the end – Summer Jam is as aimless as the name suggests – but overall this is almost a match for 2011’s wonderful English Riviera.
