It’s been a little while between drinks for one of my favourite dance outfits, and needless to say I was very much looking forward to this one. The title, ‘To All New Arrivals’, intrigued me – and I began to think that it may have been an attempt to bring a new breed of fans up to speed on the sound that is uniquely Faithless. Ultimately, my hunch was only half right.

All up, this is Faithless doing what they do best. Gentle uplifting dance tunes, with a tinge of house, a touch of hip-hop, a tweak of trance, and a twist of electronica. The first single, ‘Bombs’, is the epitome of this sound – providing a rhapsody of all the above styles. Not one to take a backward step, the song is scattered with lyrics of war being all around us (“one bomb, the whole block gone; can’t find the children and dust covers the sun”). While Faithless have always had a tendency to send political messages with their songs, this is probably the first time it has been greeted with so much controversy, with the video clip for ‘Bombs’ refused airtime on MTV. The message nevertheless rings through. Moving on to ‘Spiders, Chocolates and Kryptonite’, it takes on a sensual feel – with an awesome beat brought in by an equally impressive drop that just gets you moving. At the end of the second track, you will note the distinct sound of a ‘click’ in your mind; with a toddler chatting about his amazement at ‘speak[ing] on the microphone’, the concept of ‘new arrivals’ begins to take shape. The subtle message has begun.

Moving on to ‘Music Matters’, with the brilliance of vocalist Cass Fox coupled with Faithless front man Maxi Jazz, this song is sharp. Very sharp. It has already received some remix treatment from the likes of Pete Tong and Pete Heller, and given enough attention could be a solid club hit. The middle part of the album slips down a notch – not in quality, but rather tempo – with ‘Nate’s Tune’ and ‘I Hope’ slowing things down ever so slightly, almost in anticipation of an emotional climax. Best of all, it arrives in the form of ‘Last This Day’, featuring the vocals of Dido. This song personifies what made Dido (sister of Faithless musical maestro Rollo) and the Faithless team so successful as a collaboration all those years ago. It’s a gem, tugging your heart-strings.

The tempo then picks up with the title track, and you sense a crescendo is imminent. It is pure Faithless; with quick catchy beats, energetic electro and very healthy drops in all the right places. Similarly, with ‘Hope and Glory’, it’s all very funky, with guest vocals by One Eskimo. An overlap with a difference comes at the end, with a terrorist bulletin broadcast over the same toddler reciting ‘fee fi fo fum’. It sounds simple – if not a little quirky – but it’s powerful stuff and an appropriate introduction to the next song, ‘A Kind of Peace’. Again, dotted with solid beats and softly spoken vocals, it’s a powerful song. As we click towards the end, the man of the moment stakes his claim; Maxi Jazz coming back to do what he does best. His rapping comes to the fore, and while this is a very different kind of song, it is loaded with the same sound that made ‘Insomnia’ so popular more than a decade ago. ‘Emergency’ is an instrumental finale of solid electro, a touch of techno, some crazy guitar, and a healthy beat that will have you wanting more.

Interestingly, this album was never meant to happen. After their last studio album ‘No Roots’ and the tour that followed, it was all meant to come to an end. But then they released a best-of compilation and the touring continued. On the back of that we’re fortunate enough to have this album, and we should be thankful. Maxi is still his energetic and thoughtful self, Sister Bliss continues to create amazing beats, and Rollo has not lost any of the creative prowess that’s made him, in many people’s eyes, a musical genius. So, how was my hunch half right? Ultimately, although the album does send a message about the innocence and purity of children – coinciding with the birth of Sister Bliss’ first child the week the album finished, and Rollo’s second baby a little while earlier – it also doubles as the ultimate introductory lesson in what the sound of Faithless truly is. This is the Faithless that we have grown to know so well over the last decade, and they have not deviated too far from what has been, overall, a winning formula.