In 2004, the Toronto dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979 released You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, a cyclonic debut album that was decidedly—and aggressively—of the moment. Ten years later, their combination of gnarled bass riffs, screeching synth flourishes, and propulsive drum work sounds every bit as ferocious—if not refined—on their highly anticipated follow-up, The Physical World. The early standout “Right On, Frankenstein!” starts as a straight-ahead punk suplex before mutating into a deliciously twisted lullaby in its anthemic coda. Elsewhere, “White Is Red” is surprisingly midtempo and wonderfully crunchy, while the single “Trainwreck 1979” finds the duo splicing their trademark chug with slivers of feathery falsetto and twinkling piano.

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