Upon listening to Phantom Punch’s first track, a look of confusion that might creep up your face. You probably checked to make sure you were listening to Sondre Lerche. Yes, it is Sondre Lerche but the music is different. Known for his spry, melodic, and Bacharach-esque sound, Lerche has removed that formula from his latest release. He is intent on keeping you guessing. Last year’s Dupper Sessions, Lerche invoke his inner jazzy self, Faces Down and Two Way Monologue saw his penchant for lounge-influenced pop music. Phantom Punch is anything but jazzy or lounge pop music. At the beginning of the album, we are greeted with the hooky, rhythmic and stop/start of “Airport Taxi Reception” and the momentum does not stop there. Each track is equally rhythmic and has a upbeat pop-punk sound. As though Lerche was spending a few hours each day at his local dive bar embracing the atmosphere and its characters. On “Happy Birthday Girl” the guitar slows down and the somber sound emerges for a seven minute finale.

Phantom Punch jumps around too much and there doesn’t seem to be nice flow from each song. Given that this is Lerche’s fourth album, we are curious to see where he will take us on his next release. He has already created a vastly different palate for us to sample.