Ladytron is having a moment. Since their 2023 album Time’s Arrow, the electropop icons from Liverpool have garnered a new wave of attention, going viral on TikTok and landing a crucial needle drop in the deliciously dark film Saltburn. Now, they return with their eighth studio album. Paradises is their first record since founding member Reuben Wu stepped away to focus on his photography and art. The band continues as a trio, sounding refreshed and refocused.
Paradises has a dreamy, lush, almost submerged sound as if it’s drifting in from underwater. The album moves with a distinct pitter-patter motion that first appears in opener “I Believe in You” and recurs throughout the record. On first listen, Paradises can blur into the background, but give it a proper spin on good headphones and it opens up beautifully. The low ends thicken, the textures deepen, and the atmosphere becomes immersive. This album is less about massive hooks and more about mood: pulsing beats, glacial synths, and their signature ice-cold, purring vocals.
The buzz around this release is real, with some critics calling it their best work to date. I’m still digesting the album, but these three tracks quickly rose to the surface.
You can find Paradises on Bandcamp and Spotify.
LADYTRON — “I Believe in You”
A pre-release single that landed on my Best Songs of 2025 list, “I Believe in You” opens the album with energy and intent. Its dynamic synth arrangement is anchored by a bright, almost xylophone-like refrain, while Helen Marnie’s hypnotic vocals glide through the mix. The real magic, though, comes from those cosmic “whaaa-aaah-aaah” flourishes that feel beamed in from the “Flash Gordon” soundtrack. It’s a hypnotic banger with a sturdy, pulsating backbone—and it introduces that subtle pitter-patter rhythm that ripples across the entire album.
LADYTRON — “Solid Light”
“Solid Light,” a deep cut near the end of Paradises, opens with an invitation: “Sing me your faourite bar song.” Its lyrics nod to the hard-earned wisdom of American poet Max Ehrmann, ultimately concluding with the repeated mantra of “We will dance again.” A clacking drum machine hits like the beat of marching soldiers, giving the track a sense of forward momentum beneath its hazy surface. The song builds and builds with ecstasy and ebullient tones that surge near the halfway mark with the line “Dance me out of town.” I’ve always had a soft spot for songs about the primal power of music and dance, so of course this is gonna be one of my favorite cuts from the album.
LADYTRON — “A Death in London”
“A Death in London” is pure pop elegance, a song with a dark edge that’s built around a sinister little synth refrain—boop-boop-bop, as if it’s quietly plotting something. There’s a stuttering shuffle beneath it, with bubbling textures that give the track a restless energy. As it unfolds, layers of strings and what sounds like a saxophone sweep in, adding a cinematic weight that nearly overwhelms the vocals. It’s rich, dramatic, and just a little dangerous.
