Poppier than what I expect of most indie rock that tries to be too cool for school. It's not a poppy as say Pale Waves, though it's not as dark as them either. Though there is a touch of punk to what they do. Mariel's voice is plaintive while being emotive. It reminds me of 90s alt rock like Liz Phair or Veruca Salt. She does have more range than she lets on at first . These guys are pretty impressive musically as the solo on "Black Seas" is pretty unexpected and highly fleet of finger. There is a smooth tension to "Dead Wood". She has an weirdly wonderful way of phrasing that dances around the riffs in a smooth yet angular fashion. The guitar tones are all pretty stellar. The turn to a louder blend of rock also comes out of no where, so constantly surprising you seems to be their thing.
This louder rock dynamic which has grunge leanings opens "Old Friend" which is not written quite as fluidly, some of the odd jazzy placements give a Joni Mitchell feel, that sits oddly against some of the stompy Soundgarden like moments. Even this song that I was unsure of at first listen begins to win me over more before it's done. That Veruca Salt vibe I caught earlier in the album, seems to have some merit in the way they give drive to the title track. The chorus is almost too happy for the rest of the song. The verses are strong enough to balance this out.
I'll give this album a 9.5 , it's not perfect , but pretty close to it. It is doubtful I'll be able to find a copy of this floating for free on the inner webs , but it's worth the dollar they are going to make me spring for it, which says something about the infectious nature of these songs.They have another album coming out next year called "Cycles" and if you are into what you heard here, then clicking around to the right places will allow you to hear that as well. Like this album it's being released on Chatterbox Records.
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