If you’re itching to hear something different, you can’t go past Active Child. No, I’m not referring to an annoying niece or nephew, I’m talking about New Jersey artist Pat Grossi, aka Active Child, who has just completed his debut album You Are All I See. Frankly, it’s freakin’ awesome. We’ve been fortunate enough to cop an earful in our trendy new office and our jaws are still scraping the floor.

What does Active Child sound like? Ask me in a year’s time when I’ve coined a new genre. The first words that spring to mind are electronic, indie, pop, soul, filmic and choral. It’s all of this and more. There are several stand-out tracks, but the whole album flows effortlessly. Don’t judge the album by the opening track; the synth sounds like a throwback to Blade Runner. Has Pat Grossi bought some old gear off eBay? I try to dispel visions of Rutger Hauer in his natty leather jacket and am saved by the second track ‘Hanging On’.  The melody draws you in and wraps around you, it’s utterly mesmerising and beguiling – the kind of song that Hurts would die for, if they could pinch a few sounds from James Blake.

Before you know it, you’re into urban territory, with soulful guest support from Brooklyn resident HTDW. “High Priestess” offers up another feast, with Pat Grossi’s choirboy vocals soaring through layers of atmospheric keyboards and cut-up electronics. Unlike some artists I could mention, his lyrics make sense, so you can follow the gist of a story if you feel so inclined. I defy you to treat this as “chilled” background music – it demands your attention. My fave track “Shield And Sword” pulls out all the stops as you’re near the final furlong. It’s gobsmackingly brilliant: a top-drawer performance underpinned by stop-start electronic percussion. There are shades of The Presets here, and I swear he’s borrowed some ideas from Depeche Mode circa Some Great Reward. Any artist who can pull this off with so much style deserves to win every award going.

The album You Are All I See is out 26th August. Available from iTunes, InSong and your friendly bricks-n-mortar record shop.