Join the Dots

Join the Dots opens with a gutsy seven-minute groove that not only nods to Krautrock at its finest but waves coolly and says, “Look how we do it!” The tune creeps along like a soundtrack to a terrifying run-through-the-woods scene in a slasher flick, with a quivering bass line opening up to syncopated hi-hats and snare and sheets of menacing synths. It builds steadily, dips, and builds again, pulling listeners in without mercy. You’re stuck in it—but trust us, you’ll enjoy the ride. Moving from the math-rock-infused motorik tune to “You Won’t Be the Same,” (something that seems a lot like the '80s Paisley Underground, with synths), the Londoners thoughtfully breach genre boundaries and genre camps, mixing things up without regard for borders. Getting lost has rarely been this much fun. The nearly eight-minute title track works steadily to liftoff, with clockwork drum precision and burbling, circular bass lines carrying cascades of treated guitars into the ether. Toy’s formula of marrying synth- and guitar-driven psychedelia with Krautrock's mesmerizing, hypnotic quality is in perfect balance.