Untogether,” the new album by Montreal electropop duo Blue Hawaii, is slated for release by rising Canadian mainstay Arbutus Records. Over the last couple of years, Montreal’s Arbutus has established itself as one of the most important showcases of the increasingly widespread pool of talented musicians emerging from the city. Best known for the now-mega-popular Grimes, the label is also home to artists like Doldrums, Majical Cloudz, and the criminally underrated TOPS. Sharing with those bands a sense of delicate romanticism as well as a willingness to experiment, Blue Hawaii craft cerebral computer-based pop music in the vein of bands like The xx and AlunaGeorge.

The band’s approach is clearly displayed on the two-part “In Two” suite: Over stuttering, 4/4 house beats, singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston (also of emerging Montreal band Braids) coos Bjork-like melodic lines that are cut up in the manner of UK dance music. Throughout the album, this process is employed on tracks that range from college radio-friendly indie pop to full-on club compositions. The album’s most persuasive strength is that it simply sounds gorgeous. The production is immaculate, with vocals, synthesizers, and thundering sub-bass cascading around each other with precision. At the same time, the duo’s melodies are surprisingly strong: Tracks like the borderline-pastoral “Try to Be” are as catchy as they are aurally impressive, representing a melodic edge that separates the band from the hordes of electronic musicians currently in operation. (7/10)