Unknown Mortal Orchestra: Multi-Love review – a breakup record with a difference

There are plenty of albums about heartbreak, but not so many about polyamorous relationships in which a third party leaves both you and your wife confused and heartbroken. Ruban Nielson might have tangled his emotions beyond repair during the making of his band’s third album, but you can’t deny the subject matter is compelling. “Multi-love has got me on my knee / We were one, then become three,” he sings on the title track, adding: “It’s not that this song’s about her / All songs are about her.” The Auckland/Portland band’s multi-love is multi-coloured, too, taking soul music as its template but splashing the canvas with futurist synths and trippy vocal effects. The songs nod to the 1960s (Like Acid Rain), 70s (The World Is Crowded) and 80s (Can’t Keep Checking My Phone), but always feel fresh – a giddy, psychedelic sound almost as unique as the subject matter.