Seven years between drinks Coldcut return showing that they haven’t been resting on their laurels, but prove again that the duo of Matt Black and Jonathan Moore have been perfecting their art to the Nth degree.

It begins with the amazing single Everything Is Under Control featuring Mike Ladd and Jon “Blues Explosion” Spencer, a slammingly beautiful beat fest with screaming guitars and potent vocals. True Skool is a standout hiphop, bouncy dancehall number that is a joy to listen to. Man In a Garage brings the tempo down, with a bluesy, broken beat journey through beautiful lyrics.

A fabulously powerful soulful ballad voiced by Robert Owens Walk a Mile follows, and Mr Nichols is a wonderful, wistful number featuring Saul Williams’ brilliant poetry about the condition of modern urban man. The title track, Sound Mirrors, shows Coldcut still likes to experiment with sound and space, creating a haunting, cinematic and somewhat psychotic instrumental piece.

Boogieman returns us to the Jamaican riddim influenced beat although far darker in tone. This Island Earth similarly features the Jamaican influenced beat, but breaks down into a fabulous house inspired chorus, reminding us that Coldcut were indeed responsible for classic ‘girly house’. Just For the Kick is a storming club classic with a phat beat covered by an uncanny vocal by Annette Peacock.

Aid Dealer shows Coldcut are just as political as they’ve always been. Ninja labelmate Fog contributes a nasally melancholic vocal over some wonderfully odd theremin and whistling on Whistle and a Prayer, and Colours the Soul ends the album on a gently psychedelic note, breezy and dreamy.

It’s a big call to say this is Coldcut’s finest work to date when they’ve achieved so much, but when the world’s best producers outdo themselves with purely outstanding production on memorable, lingering tunes, it becomes simply a given.