IT'S been five years since Boo Seeka released their debut album Never Too Soon, but the period has been anything but non-eventful in the electro-pop duo's camp.
Frontman Ben Gumbleton has watched his original Boo Seeka collaborator Sam Croft leave to become a pilot, and his replacement Michael May walked out after two years in 2021.
Golding's Jay Bainwright has since joined as Boo Seeka's percussionist and co-writer.
In between the revolving door of collaborators, Boo Seeka has released a steady string of singles that have increasingly dived deeper into electronic territory.
Earlier this year Gumbleton even had the privilege of sharing a stage with electro-pop master Hayden James at Coachella.
Album No.2 Between The Head & The Heart came after Gumbleton scrapped two records and left his native Newcastle for the Gold Coast, to escape Queensland COVID border restrictions and work with producer Matt Bartlem (Jarryd James, Broods, Matt Corby).
Between The Head & The Heart was written in 2021 during what Gumbleton describes as "a low point" and certainly melancholy, and even anger, permeates the lyrics.
"F-k everything you said/ Get me outta your head," Gumbleton pleads to himself on Superstar.
But there's also hope at the album's core. On Real, Gumbleton asks, "Is it real love or are all we just waiting", over an atmospheric palette of synths and beats.
Next To Me is another thrilling moment as Gumbleton sings, "I wanna feel the rhythm of your heart" over a propulsive beat.
Slices of Gumbleton's former indie-folk band Benjalu are detected on Nothing, which begins as a steady build of acoustic guitar and piano before exploding into a soaring chorus, led by a multi-tracked vocal.
Between The Head & The Heart is a significant step forward from Never Too Soon. The hooks are juicier, the beats are more hypnotic, and the lyrics more heartfelt.
Boo Seeka made their name with catchy singles, but Between The Head & The Heart proves their talent runs far deeper.