One can hear traces of A-Ha in the vocal delivery, and the music recalls the style of early New Order. The Mary Onettes do not fall into that trap of the typical retro band though. Instead, they take that genre of music and expand on the formula. As a result, once again we are treated to ten tracks of some of the best dreampop to have emerged in recent years.

The tempo of Islands may be a tad bit more mellow compared to their self-titled debut, but they make up for that with more structure to each song, painting a more complete and lush landscape than before. Tracks such as "Puzzles" and the unbelievable, beautiful "Dare" are highlights of an album that you will be hard-pressed to remove from your player once you start listening. Highly recommended!