Although it would be rash to compare Ruby Blue to work’s from Murphy’s ‘on-hiatus’ band, the problem is it still sounds very much like a Moloko album. This is no-doubt unintentional, but one can’t help pining for something else given the talent involved. Sure, it’s a wider sonic palette upon which Murphy’s lyrics on love and lust sit upon. Herbert’s recent forays into the world of big band jazz add vibrancy to ‘Sow Into You’ and the squawking highlight ‘Night of the Dancing Flame’ which is a blurry buzz of trumpets and lyrical lust. Opener ‘Leaving the City’ is a lesson in restraint, with Murphy’s cries of ‘No lullabies, no lullabies, tell me to stay home’ fighting to be heard against a piano riff reminiscent of a Roni Size B-side, and it’s another choice cut. So is ‘If We’re In Love’, which upon first listen is a certain single-in-waiting. Murphy gorgeously playful vocal is a treat (‘If we’re in love, we should make love. When will we be lovers?’), making you wonder why the object of her affection doesn’t just get over his reluctance, ditch the training wheels and get down to business. With Herbert’s gentle touch to guide her wooing, it’s one of Murphy’s best performances on record.

It’s a shame then that the remainder of the album is a mix of lounge cast-offs (‘Through Time’), annoying marching music (‘Ramalama [Bang Bang]’), and woozy, sleep inducing after thoughts (‘Off On It’). The title track sounds like a rejected offering from the last Girls Aloud album, but with added ‘pops!’, ‘woos’ and fuzzed out guitar effects. It’s a clunker for sure. Murphy’s quirky vocals become clichéd towards the albums conclusion, and one wonders what the album would have been like if her trademark levity was traded in for something more focused.

As a whole, Ruby Blue is a safe offering, reminiscent of a copy of Harper’s Bazaar on a brand new designer coffee table, which translates as a disappointing effort from two of dance music’s odder characters. If you’re after a Herbert album full of dreamy female lust, try Around The House collaboration which features the vocals of the producer’s wife, Dani Siciliano. Otherwise, there’s always the next Moloko album. Isn’t that right Roisin? Roisin?