Review Summary: From outer space to a retro earth
Once in a while, a piece of music will transport you to a different time altogether. Whether it’s the result of the music itself or with specific memories associated with it, some records just have the power of taking you to a more sentimental or nostalgic place. And as the 2020s progress further, I suppose it was inevitable that 80s nostalgia would start giving way to 90s nostalgia; get ready for the synthpop revival of the 2010s to slowly transform into a wave of grunge and power pop anthems (which, to be fair, has already started happening). The reason I bring this up is that Reptaliens’ new record
Multiverse evokes the feel and approach of 90s dream pop down to a tee. In fact, despite coming out in January, the album would have been a better fit for a summer release; the airy clean-channel guitars, the Lætitia Sadier-esque vocals, the light shuffle of the drums… everything about
Multiverse just screams “summer in the 90s”. And your enjoyment of the record will heavily depend on just how much of this sound you can handle, because there’s not much deviation from the formula.
It’s worth noting that
Multiverse is quite the departure from the rest of Reptaliens’ discography. Whereas their previous work was more in the domain of synthpop and tackled heavy science fiction themes, this new project finds them in more grounded and alternative territory. Now we have tight bass and drum interplay, seasoned with reverb-laden guitar melodies; the common theme between both is the amount of open space the instrumentation allows in the process. There aren’t many embellishments to be found, as the synths have largely been stripped away from the duo’s sound at this point; however, given how relatable and down-to-earth the lyrics are when compared to previous releases, this seems like a sensible approach.
Multiverse also happens to be the first album that Reptaliens wrote and recorded exclusively as a duo, as the COVID lockdown prevented them from working with their other bandmates. This time it’s just Cole and Bambi Browning, and their chemistry on the record is simply excellent. There’s a nice balance between the tightness of the grooves and the personality of the guitar melodies, leading to a sound that’s both precise and atmospheric at the same time. Still, much of the record’s runtime is spent washing over the listener in a lovely summer haze.
Again, however, I must reiterate what I stated above: how much of this sound can you enjoy in a single sitting?
Multiverse is quite a brief album, but it stays relatively one-note throughout its runtime. There really aren’t any experimental moments that shake up the dream pop and indie rock sound the duo have cultivated here, and it would have certainly been nice to hear a more three-dimensional take on this style. But I can’t deny that there’s a certain escapist quality about
Multiverse that makes it alluring, especially for those who love 90s alternative and indie rock. Everything on the record just sounds vaguely familiar despite these being new songs, and that makes for a pretty comfortable and cozy listen. That may not read like a stunning endorsement, but it’s not really meant to be. If you enjoy summer-y 90s alt rock, then you’ll probably enjoy this quite a bit. If not, your time is probably best spent elsewhere.
