The aesthetics of “cold” and “inhuman” synthpop and post-punk work best when there’s an odd longing beneath it all, and Gary Numan nails that on his conceptual masterpiece about synthetic humanoids and their existential crises. A Blade Runner you can nod your head to, though the uptempo moments (“Are ‘Friends’ Electric?”; “Me! I Disconnect From You”) are almost as unnervingly frostbitten as the moody ones (“Down in the Park”; “Replicas”).

Unclear whether Gary Numan is supposed to be man or mannequin on the cover – or something in between. He certainly sounds more machine than anything else on Tubeway Army’s second offensive, a conceptual piece that very much fits into the overall nihilistic bent of British 70s science fiction. “Me, I Disconnect from You,” “Are Friends Electric?,” and quietly apocalyptic “Down in the Park” make a case for the synthesizer as the most punk rock instrument of all: no better way to break from classic rock orthodoxy then removing the humanity. That said, his droning vocals and rigid beat would make even an automaton hit the dance floor.