Since his last full-length outing in 2014, Actress has been keeping a low profile, seemingly content to focus on running his WerkDiscs imprint. AZD, his sixth album, is a welcome return to the limelight. While it doesn't pull his trademark style in many new directions, it does contain rather a lot of impressive material. As usual, we're offered a blend of electronic intensity, rhythmic dexterity and occasional moments of blinding beauty. Other reviews have commented that it feels less introspective than his claustrophobic 2014 set Ghettoville, despite being named after his studio. We tend to agree, and it's this blend of introspection and bare-knuckle intensity that makes the album so appealing.