A.R. Kane followed with their highly anticipated debut album, "69" (1988), which topped the independent charts and received rave critical reviews from the UK music press. Writing for "Melody Maker", critic Simon Reynolds described "69" as ""the" outstanding record of '88." A.R Kane's next release was 1989's "Love-Sick" EP, followed later that year by their second studio album, ""i"", in which they engaged more overtly with pop, dance and electronic styles. The duo, dismissive of the wildly disparate attempts by journalists to categorize their unique sound, eventually began referring to their music as "dreampop"; the term was widely adopted by music critics thereafter. Like its predecessor, ""i"" was released to moderate sales figures and topped the independent charts. Also in 1989, Rough Trade released the "Pop" EP.