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**STRFKR - Miracle Mile**
★★★★☆

In the grand pantheon of bands who've wrestled with their own nomenclature, few have endured quite the linguistic odyssey of Portland's STRFKR. Originally christened Starfucker before various platforms and radio stations clutched their collective pearls, Josh Hodges and his merry band of cosmic wanderers have spent the better part of two decades crafting a sound that's equal parts bedroom pop reverie and dancefloor euphoria. By the time 2013's "Miracle Mile" emerged, the group had already established themselves as purveyors of gloriously hazy electronic pop, but this fourth studio effort represented something of a creative watershed – a moment where their interstellar ambitions finally aligned with earthbound songcraft.

The album arrived on the heels of considerable momentum. 2011's "Reptilians" had seen the band's profile rise considerably, their infectious blend of synth-pop and indie rock earning them festival slots and a growing cult following. Yet there was a sense that Hodges, alongside collaborators Shawn Glassford and Keil Corcoran, were still searching for their definitive statement. "Miracle Mile" feels like the moment they stopped reaching for the stars and realised they were already among them.

Musically, the album occupies that sweet spot between dreamy introspection and kinetic energy that defined the best indie-electronic crossover acts of the early 2010s. Think Tame Impala's psychedelic wash filtered through the robotic precision of Kraftwerk, with a healthy dose of new wave nostalgia thrown into the mix. Hodges' vocals float through these compositions like a benevolent ghost, often heavily processed but never losing their essential humanity. The production, handled by the band themselves, achieves that increasingly rare feat of sounding both polished and wonderfully ramshackle.

The album's opening salvo, "While I'm Alive," sets the tone perfectly – a pulsating electronic heartbeat underpinning Hodges' typically cryptic observations about existence and connection. It's followed by the title track, arguably the album's centrepiece, where cascading synths and a motorik rhythm section create something that feels simultaneously retro and futuristic. The song captures that peculiar magic STRFKR do so well: music that sounds like it was beamed down from some parallel dimension where the 1980s never ended but somehow got better.

"Atlantis" ranks among their finest achievements, a seven-minute epic that builds from whispered confessions to full-blown cosmic disco. The track showcases the band's growing confidence with longer-form compositions, allowing ideas to breathe and develop rather than rushing toward the next hook. Meanwhile, "Kahlil Gibran" (named after the Lebanese-American poet) strips things back to their essence – a simple but devastating melody wrapped in layers of gauzy electronics that seem to shimmer and dissolve before your ears.

The album's secret weapon might be "Millions," a track that perfectly encapsulates STRFKR's ability to make the mundane feel transcendent. Over a hypnotic bass line and crisp drum programming, Hodges contemplates scale and significance with the kind of stoned profundity that could easily tip into parody but instead feels genuinely moving. It's the sound of a band who've learned to trust their instincts rather than overthink their concepts.

Elsewhere, "Gold Dime" provides the album's most straightforward pop moment, all chiming guitars and irresistible hooks, while "Isea" ventures into more experimental territory with its abstract textures and unconventional structure. The sequencing feels deliberate and considered, each track flowing naturally into the next while maintaining its own distinct identity.

In the decade since its release, "Miracle Mile" has emerged as something of a high-water mark in STRFKR's catalogue. While subsequent albums have explored different facets of their sound – 2016's "Being No One, Going Nowhere" leaned harder into dance music, while 2020's "Future Past Life" embraced a more organic approach – none have quite matched the cohesive vision achieved here. The album stands as testament to the power of following your own peculiar muse, regardless of whatever genre boundaries or industry expectations might suggest.

For a band whose name once caused such consternation, STRFKR have proven remarkably adept at the long game. "Miracle Mile" captures them at their