Tracey Thorn may have skimmed on the dance beats on this album but she doesn't run out of good melodies. Love and Its Opposite is a subtle effort. It doesn't quite declare that Thorn is back as much as it says she never left. The ten songs here are more earthy, more grounded. The relationships and the sentiments her perfect, precise vocals portray are easier to relate to and quicker to decipher. The production is more straightforward. While there are still some songs that delve into electronic pop, there are more songs that just allow Thorn to take center stage and let her interesting lyricism ignite. Standouts like "Hormones" and the soaring closer "Swimming" capture so much of the beautiful core of this singer songwriter's work which is the study of love, its opposite and the many other emotions in between.