Review Summary: Slow Burner...
The genre of dream pop for me has always tended to be interesting. It has a huge following with bands like Beach House among others that tend to push into the realms of experimental, however it has mainly always been able to follow an understandable structure with each song. This means that everything is tightened up into a neat package that can almost become sort of made for easy listening. Most bands that I usually hear from the genre of Dream Pop have followed this sort of clear structure and have had emphasis on the catchiness of the song itself underneath the surface of the Shoegaze-like atmosphere. Then I gave a listen to this album, and it mainly veers away from that idea.
I came into this album knowing a bit of the sound that Your Friend has made already on Jekyll/Hyde, however this seems to be an entirely different direction then the vibe that the former EP was giving. This feels more engulfed in its own atmosphere, and emphasizes on getting the listener to be in an ethereal state rather than focusing on the catchy portions of each track. And when I use the word "catchy" for this album, I take it very lightly, as the sum of its parts is what engulfs the listener throughout the 8 total songs.
The album begins with the song "Heathering" which starts off strangely enough with random guitar plucking like they accidentally were caught recording too early. These first 2 seconds of the opening is the only moment on the entire album that does not keep itself in touch with the rest of the ethereal feeling, however after that the record pulls the listener in with its massively shoegaze influenced guitar and percussion work. The song follows a rather Beach House style song structure similar to what was mentioned of the genre in the introduction paragraph, however 2 and a half minutes in the song then deviates when the thrums change up into a more pace-driven beat. The song builds to a powerful climax, only to go back to its ambient driven sound. This first song then sets the trend for the rest of the album.
The artist, Your Friend, knows the sound that she is trying to accomplish and the album never loses its focus, so many of the tracks are what would be slow burners, similar to the sounds of what Hammock would produce. This slow burner idea will also alienate many listeners as this entire record may feel monotonous to listen through. Even I, after the first listen, felt almost nothing attaching about this album since I had nothing to latch onto. No real hook. No fast beat. No familiar song structure.
I then gave the album another listen, hoping that I would pick up on something in the music, and thankfully I found out that there is actually a lot that this record offers to others interested in a more ambient-style dream pop album. The slow burning process of each song actually counts as a plus. Many subtle instrumental sounds can be heard moving throughout the album, with a driving force of the rather slow-beat rallying through the record, all the way to the final track. Finally, her voice is what mends the songs together. Each song would not be complete without her rather interesting voice that seems to focus on sounding angelic in nature.
The album, as a whole, is a very ethereal and esoteric album that journeys its way through while paying close attention to the atmosphere that the songs bring. Rather than focus heavily on catchy dream pop sounds like the genre's contemporaries, the album would rather envelop the listener with ambiance and almost post rock-style melodies. I would highly recommend this record.
