BØRNS Blue Madonna

The second full-length from BØRNS, Blue Madonna, is proof of the strange magic that can be made from embracing instinct and wonder. In creating the album, singer/songwriter Garrett Borns found his curiosity sparked by sonic phenomena of all kinds: impromptu recordings of nocturnal creatures near his parents' house in Michigan, early-'60s AM pop, Brian Wilson's teenage symphonies to God, the mariachi music constantly echoing through his former L.A. neighborhood. As on his debut album Dopamine BØRNS transforms his kaleidoscopic fascinations into dreamlike pop music that bears a classic sensibility but ultimately feels like some glorious future.

Lavishly textured and stylistically unpredictable, drenched in sublime melody and shimmying grooves, Blue Madonna again reveals BØRNS's limitless originality. In bringing the album to life, BØRNS reunited with Dopamine producer Tommy English and sculpted a more expansive, ornately arranged sound than he'd ever attempted before. Equally influenced by glam rock, doo-wop, and Detroit proto-punk, lead single "Faded Heart" matches its massive hooks and throbbing tempo with flashes of dreamy sleaze.

On "I Don't Want You Back," BØRNS conjures a hazy synth-pop luster with the help of a vintage Omnichord, and again proves the agility of his imagination. At turns triumphant and heart-crushing, the synth-heavy "Sweet Dreams" is accompanied by singular samples of an owl and crickets. And on "We Don't Care," with its post-disco strut and snarling guitar riffs, BØRNS turns in a divinely inspired vocal performance.