Best known for their big hit from the early ’80s, “Echo Beach,” Martha & the Muffins were one of the first Canadian New Wave bands to make it big overseas. They were considered the artsy intellectual answer to punk and gathered quite a decent following in a short period of time. Eighteen years after the release of 1992’s Modern Lullaby, Martha & the Muffins are finally back with their long awaited follow up, Delicate. This new material is a nice return to form and not a desperate grab at a rehashed past glory.

While modern sounding, but maintaining essences of that old New Wave sound, Delicate should really appeal to those Muffin fans kept waiting while pricking the ears of new potential listeners. The album starts off with “Drive,” featuring a nice vocal intro and good driving beat that makes for a strong lead off to what really is a pretty decent album all around. There are some mild stinkers in the mix such as “One In A Million,” which is fine in content but wanders into corny musical territory in its predictable musical structure, though perhaps this is just what comes from poppy New Wave revival music. Regardless of opinion, this is a strong return and is sure to please fans of this groundbreaking act from days of yore.