Thick Terrain
Lost Map Records
This new album was preceded by a great single ‘Undercover‘ and is the first album in five years from the London-based combo, Covid and other factors having intervened a bit. Clocking in at 10 tracks and released on the mighty Eigg-based label Lost Map, it offers a warm and sympathetic take on dreampop with some eccentric and quirky rough edges showing through.
The riffs, the harmonies and the sound dynamics combine to make this a very enjoyable listen – BM would find it hard to pick a favourite track although ‘Undercover’ does sit well in the middle of the fray.
‘Tunnel’ stands out a bit due to its slower pace and more bucolic atmosphere, while ‘Swim Under The Winter’ has more electropop stylings and the male/female duetted vocals fairly soar – “disconnect (or “just connect?”) the dots, it’s not easy to give them what they want…” – the lyrics are just nuanced enough for the listener to project their own experience or interpretation onto them, like many of the best pop lyrics.
A great addition to the band’s work and a step forward…