By the time the Thompson Twins recorded Close to the Bone, they were reduced to the duo of Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie, and they had abandoned new wave synth-pop for light funk-inflected dance-pop. Most of Close to the Bone is too sterile and predictable to be truly enjoyable, yet there are a handful of tracks that serve as a reminder that the group can turn out well-constructed and catchy pop songs when they choose.