If you're frothing at the mouth in anticipation of that sweet shudder of pleasure that will undoubtedly accompany the arrival of the new Handsome Furs album, we've got some good news and some bad news. The rough stuff first: you'll have to hang on just a little while longer than expected, as the release date has been pushed back a bit, to March 10. If you can keep body and soul together till then, the good news is that, based on a first listen, you are unlikely to be disappointed. 

The spare electro-beats, spiky power chords, and sharp synth riffs that are the Furs' stock in trade are strongly in evidence throughout Face Control, as are the unfailing pop sensibilities of Wolf Parader Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry, so be prepared to get hit with more hooks than a bait-and-tackle shop. Of special note for the New Order lovers among Furs fanciers is "All We Want, Baby, Is Everything," which comes off like a love letter to the Manchester icons' "Temptation"-era glory days. But then, there are sonic splashes of numerous stripes waiting to tickle your ear on Face Control, so stay poised.