Review Summary: awesome tech death! (clickbait)
Okay. Fine. Look, listen:
Endless Pursuit by Temple of Angels is an excellent debut. The album finds itself at a gorgeous intersection of ethereal wave and post punk and crafts magnificent dream pop soundscapes out of this. Melodies are fucking lush, performances are tight and organic at once, and every song boasts a distinct(ly floaty) hook. Bre Morell’s vocals are the obvious star of the show: her voice (also known as the only memorable part of that new Turnover record) weaves pure magic against the gothic-tinged sparkles and is at its very best when flexed into unexpected climaxes. While the moments where guitarist Avery Burton assumes the position of lead vocalist lack this element of excellence, his deeper tones do manage to add a nice sense of dynamics to the flow of the record and enhance its post punk leanings. Altogether, Temple of Angels’ first full length is a cohesive masterclass in
drem.
Look! I did it! I wrote a paragraph about how
Endless Pursuit is a great album! This means that I am now legally allowed to spend a paragraph talking about how “Tangled in Joy” is a perfect song (it says so in the Sputnikmusic dot com rulebook, I swear). Seriously, this song is pure strawberry lemonade in alpine pastures and butterflies circling ducklings in a pond: most prominently, it’s a brilliant showcase of Morell’s impeccable voice and sense of melody. Not a single moment feels wasted as jangly guitars interlace and off-kilter drums start making perfect blissful sense - “Tangled in Joy” is as weightless as it is impactful. This should be the poster child (song) for dream pop as it dreams and pops unlike anything else released this year. I love this song so much. The album is good too. Review done.
