I’m actually surprised no one has thought to connect Holly Herndon and the growing PC Music bubble; she even kind of looks like QT. It wasn’t until I read NPR describing her as a “post-human” that my brain went there. Herndon’s glitch-pop cyborg presence might have been a precursor for the hyperreal PC collective, but she herself is preceded by Purity Ring’s hiccuping high-pitched vocals meet chopped beats aesthetic, or even Juliana Barwick’s lovely, loop-happy projects. That Herndon still sounds like herself, then, is the real triumph of Platform’s ticking, mechanical-pop labyrinth. One thing that immediately separates her: She is both the pristine beauty face of her music and the mastermind behind all its inner workings. This album functions like one of those machines encased in clear material, the way it works on full display, and as much a part of its aesthetic appeal, as the function all those moving parts are engaged in. This isn’t quite pop as a novelty, but Herndon makes form just as important as function. Listen below.

Platform is out 5/19 via 4AD/RVNG Intl. Pre-order it here.