Review Summary: Perfect Blue, indeed
Driftless’ new album
Perfect Blue is just
gorgeous. It’s also “shimmering”, “floaty”, “ethereal”, and any other word which you can reliably find by Ctrl-F in one of resident expert Jesper’s single-paragraph writeups on Bandcamp shoegaze releases.
This isn’t to say, though, that
Perfect Blue is truly generic, even if it isn’t particularly innovative. The band leans towards post-rock, with the record (while short), composed of three longform tracks (each ranging between nine and twelve minutes) which meander through twinkles and chimes and hushed vocals. Of note, those vocals are used sparingly and mostly lean into the “gazing at shoes while functioning like another instrument” approach, but the moments when they’re clearer are reminiscent of the singing of the guy from Bark Psychosis (Graham Sutton). Given the small number of tunes present, I think it’s fair to handle my thoughts on the songs in a track-by-track manner (oh, the horror!). With the aquatic implications of both the album title and cover, the vision which is produced by the pristine beauty of opener “Renew” is of beautiful undersea scenes, vibrant coral reefs and the like. “No Guiding Light” is different, more reserved and still, the soundtrack of coasting on gentle waves, reliant on nature’s ebb and flow. Closer “We Tried To Stop” ties it all together by fusing the styles of the previous two songs.
All told,
Perfect Blue is one of those albums which is easy to recommend based on someone’s pre-existing tastes. Hammock fans, in particular, would be well-suited to this, but anyone who enjoys lighter styles of shoegaze, or mellow post-rock in the 2000s vein, would likely find this up their alley. The album may be short, but it’s lush and warm, making it a plausible option for repeat listening. And, oh yeah, it’s
gorgeous.
