The Irish dream pop-sters are back with an opaque batch of tunes that finds the forward mixed vocals putting them closer in the zip-code of Cranes. Katie Bell's child like purity is the sugar coating to what might be a venture into more experimental territory for the band. Her voice rings out wit ha sing song cadence that works for the opening track, but there is a very uniform feel to how this all unfolds over the course of the album. The third album from these guys means they have dialed in their artistic vision, and purposefully pursue certain influences like My Bloody Valentine with the boozy sound of the heavily effected guitars.
On the second song the vocals begin to become more of a texture, and the bass line a vague frequency that sets the tone but does not allow for further grooves. Two songs in this is not a deal breaker but how it plays out once you get deeper into the album found me wanting a greater range of dynamics. The plus side of this equation is that nothing is allowed to drone on for too long as the songs all fall within the four minute range. The guitarist lends his voice to "SILVER" to break things up a bit, and the song itself moves at more of a Radiohead like shuffle.
"DREAMER" finds them backing off more to allow the vocals room to simmer over a more minimal instrumentation that is like riding a rain cloud. Synth sounds create more of a groove for the title track. "Somewhere" lingers in the reverb before creeping to life. "Dandelion' drifts without really going anywhere. The mix disrupts the stage the experimental elements were trying to set for "That I Might Not See'. It result in the song being drowned by it's own drone. "The Steps" feels like more of an idea they never shared with their drummer.
The last song is more syncopated which helps set it apart from the other songs. The guitarist also sings on the song which at least provide another color in the mix of sounds. Overall I will give this album an 8.5, what they are doing is on brand for them and works, but I would like to here more dynamic focused songwriting from them next time around,
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