With Ripped Apparition, Public Memory's Robert Toher continues to craft music that burrows deep into listeners' psyches. Though Toher used a host of new synthesizers that transformed his creative process, the project's third album is still very much on brand, from song titles like "Worn Shadow" to the spectral layers of sounds and textures he builds into his moody tracks. Ripped Apparition also finds him connecting Public Memory's music to other shadowy styles and artists without borrowing too obviously from any of them. "Bad Orbit"'s serpentine melody feels akin to Thom Yorke's solo work; "Dusseldorf Witch Hat"'s low-slung beat and distant chimes evoke witch house as well as the output of Ghost Box's roster; and "Lost Future" closes the album by topping its organic flow of strings and guitar with some frosty, John Carpenter-like sparkle. Nevertheless, there's an elegance to Toher's music that is singular, especially on the destroyed beauty of "Dracula AD," and sonic labyrinths like "Azimuth" are distinctively lulling even as he ratchets up the tension. As detailed as his productions are, Ripped Apparition is often most compelling when Toher makes his androgynous, anguished vocals the focus. "Butcher" is a standout that suggests Public Memory is one of the few acts capable of continuing the haunting, blunted moods of Portishead, while the surreal lyrics of "Midsummer Shadow" and "Epigone" only add to the heady vibe of the rest of the album while giving it more substance. Ripped Apparition might be a little more linear than 2018's Demolition, but it's another testament to Toher's skill at soothing, seducing, and unsettling his audience at the same time.