From kickstarting a teenybopping line-dancing trend with 5, 6, 7, 8 to sampling the Bee Gees, Faye, Lee, H, Claire and Lisa always incorporated an unapologetically kitsch edge to their pop polish. In 2011 the late 90s/early 00s hit-makers reunited for a televised reunion series, which – although undeniably toe-curling TV – served as excellent promo for their Best of collection, which shot to No 1 on the album charts. A Christmas comeback album, Light Up the World, followed, full of schmaltz but light on original material. However, fast forward five years and Steps are back doing what they do best: deliberately unfashionable, bolshy pop. Opener Scared of the Dark begins with the tense strings of an ITV gameshow theme, before launching in to their disco-lite sound of old with a renewed sense of energy. Elsewhere, You Make Me Whole sees the band successfully flirt with the EDM trend that’s dominated the charts since their heyday. Some tracks feel flabby, such as Story of a Heart – a crooning cover of an already crooning number by Abba’s Benny and Björn – but overall this is very much a step in the right direction.
