Aussie group Cut Copy have so far made a career of taking early electronic influences from the ’70s and ’80s and marrying them to an indie-pop structure which makes them more palatable for the tastes of modern listeners. One of the things that make this so successful is that they don’t discriminate in terms of what styles they experiment with. Yes, there are elements of New Order, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk and all sorts of other “cool” bands. But a lot of their songs could just as easily be compared to Madonna or Ibiza club music.

Whereas they have managed to maintain the balance between indie and dance admirably over the course of three albums, on ‘Free Your Mind’ they pretty much abandon the former and throw themselves head-on into acid house music. Rather than go the obvious route and make something along the lines of Primal Scream’s ‘Screamadelica’ however, Cut Copy have gone all out to recreate the British club music of the late ’80s. There isn’t a guitar in earshot, which may be a good or bad thing depending on your view.

There are a few issues with this decision. Firstly, it isn’t very original. But then again, all of their work so far has been reminiscent of the past so that shouldn’t be an issue if you’re already a fan. A bigger problem perhaps lies in the lyrics. Whereas Cut Copy, and dance artists in general, are not noted for their linguistic prowess, some of the lyrics on here are a bit overly clichéd. Tracks like Take Me Higher and Meet Me in the House of Love have lyrics that those of us not currently on ecstasy may have trouble putting up with.

If you can get over these initial problems however, this is a hugely enjoyable album. The title track is a super-positive club track with a bumping bassline and some excellent bongo work towards the end. It is quite representative of the rest of the album. It is easy to roll your eyes when Dan Whitford urges you to “reach the sky” and “shine on” but you’d be better off just relaxing and letting it work its magic. We Are Explorers pretty much does the same job again. It has some ridiculously peppy synths and a fairly catchy chorus to go along with it. These songs are built for a club atmosphere, listening on your headphones may not represent the full experience.

That goes especially for Let Me Show You Love. The first three minutes of this are among the most danceable moments this band have ever recorded. Anchored by a monstrous bass-synth, the song would have fit perfectly in the Hacienda in 1988.The other major highlight is Footsteps which follows a similar formula and sounds like something off New Order’s Technique, a clear forebear to this album.

The slower songs towards the end, Walking in the Sky for example, aren’t as memorable but do at least add a bit of variety and time to catch your breath. Overall, this is an album that does what it sets out to do really well. The overwhelming positivity and “good vibes” may not be to everyone’s taste, and it’s not really in the same league as their 2008 album ‘In Ghost Colours’, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun if you give yourself in to it.