Keep Your Eyes Ahead

About

This Oregon duo perform electronically enhanced indie-pop with a thick reverb sheen that turns what could be rudimentary folk songs into stargazing epics. The simple acoustic guitar plucking of “Shed Your Love” transforms beyond its sparse beginnings as the string section emerges and the initial lonesome drifter feel finds a pathway into space. “Broken Afternoon” works similarly, beginning like an old Bob Dylan tune or Paul Westerberg ballad where the orchestration fleshes things out and sends the sentiments into a haunting otherworldly dimension. Elsewhere, “No Regrets” knocks out a lo-fi backporch jam with a screeching harmonica and joyous yelps that urge on the group sing-a-long. Sometimes their folk roots are discarded for their pop influences; singer Brandon Summers never completely loses his Dylan-like rasp, but musically the band switches gears. The album’s opener, “Lately,” revolves around an elliptical shimmer of keyboards and Smiths-like guitar where the legacy of British shoegazer bands are evoked. “Can’t Say No” follows with a misty melancholy that recalls the Clientele’s foggy notions. The title track does battle with bands such as Interpol and Editors for its elucidation of British goth-pop. Songs often pass as dreams in an attractive twilight worth revisiting.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →