Beautiful.

Waiting was worth it.

WOW!!! This is the best birthday present of all time :) Might be recency bias, but this is incredible and somehow better than all the other singles. Feels like a return to the masterpiece that is “Where We’ve Been”. I also love the callback to “Statues”.

To start, I think the approach of having "Love Story" be the only single that landed on the album actually worked out in their favour as I don't think the other singles quite align with the sound here. I think it's one of those albums where the short track list is justified since the pacing works so well with having the shorter tracks encompass the record.

Instrumentally, the extreme layering of acoustic guitar has so much emotion to it, you can just tell it's a band ... read more

To me, "Ricochet" feels so flat. When all the instruments come together on almost every song it doesn't feel full at all. It feels squished together.

Genuinely, I think there's only 3 or 4 songs that don't feel like the same bland indie rock/pop... thing that just exists? ("Light On Our Feet", "Cruise", "Agony Freak" and "Ricochet"). And it's just the little decisions like the string arrangements on "Light On Our ... read more

While this is one of their tamer songs, it doesn't lose its charm for me, as this style of swelling into a densely engulfing climax is incredibly addictive. For example, "mirrors" from their debut EP has slowly become my favourite track by them, with the control they have over the atmosphere to create this slow-burning, encompassing feeling.

This feeling is replicated here, and I think I might even prefer it over "mettle" though both are excellent tracks. Anyways, I ... read more

With these new singles, Friko has defined a sound that is incredibly distinct. The way their instrumentation manages to capture this nostalgic, youthful feeling is so endearing. Whether it is the blend of Niko's voice with these simple, repeated lines ("it only starts to come when you need it most") or the distorted guitar on this track (reminiscent of Chemical), it feels so intentional while you can feel how much fun they are having at the same time.

This style of music is something I usually enjoy (Parannoul, Weatherday, Asian Glow, Willy Rodriguez, etc), but I struggle to connect with it anymore honestly. Like yes, it all sounds like a complete body of work and it obviously means a lot to the artist, but these overly long songs that build to these massive moments end up feeling very formulaic and lose their weight for me the longer they go on. I also wouldn't necessarily call this shoegaze since it feels a bit more expansive than ... read more

This grows on me the worse I feel.

For a strictly cover-based EP, they do a decent job.

While this is quite a step down from their debut album (one of the best shoegaze albums of 2020s), I think it doesn't take my hope away for their future since they are definitely having fun here. I think "41" and "lawyers in love" are actually better than the originals, with "41" having a nice vocal performance and gritty guitar work. However, the rest of the tracks don't do as well. I also think ... read more

"You were born to break my big hairy football arms
Like clean windows kill the birds".

I like to think Cameron Winter could sing any dumb lyric and I'd still find it heartfelt, but the more I think about it, the songwriting on this album is in its own league. After finally seeing him live recently, it's really impressive how his voice can fill up so much space. I also think the small differences in the live versions of songs make the performances so powerful (especially ... read more

This was a surprisingly fun listen as far as indie pop goes. To begin with, "Lucy", "Dime" and "Bleeding Violet" are all super intriguing highlights. Honestly, I think "Lucy" is her best track she has ever released. I just adore the chorus and how it all comes together in the end. On top of this, "I Wanna Be In Love So Bad" sounds like an outtake from Clairo's "Charm" which certainly displays an improvement in production value on ... read more

The long awaited return of Lowertown was NOT disappointing. I knew Avsha was going to take a bigger part with vocals, but I was not expecting this. His emotive delivery pairs super well with Olivia’s harmonies and definitely elevates this song in every way. I love it!

UDU is definitely going to be up there for me this year!

"The Glowing Man" is the highly acclaimed "experience" I was expecting from the other Swans albums I listened to. Needless to say, I was very surprised to have found myself losing track of time with this album and actually enjoying myself. The second disc definitely has a slight edge over the first with each song holding their own weight despite the difference in track lengths. With "Frankie M", "When Will I Return?" and the title track being initial ... read more

Wow, this has me flawed. That last track was mesmerising.

This is some incredibly underrated shoegaze. It is atmospheric, world-bending and unbelievably delicate, and I can't believe I missed this last year. I would probably compare this to the likes of she's green, Seashine and Knifeplay, all being some of my favourite modern-female-vocalist shoegaze acts. Aside from the masterpiece that is the perfectly executed outro track, "Away" and "P.S. (Please Stay)" are ... read more

"Running With Scissors" is Cavetown's attempt at a stylistic departure, leaning into the electronic/punchy sound we saw on his last EP, "little vice". Unfortunately, it only works half of the time, letting brief glimpses of hope in amongst a weirdly disjointed mess of good tracks that don't flow with the annoying amount of filler tracks.

"Skip" is a really sweet intro, being an instant highlight with delicate synths and vocals. The way it all comes ... read more

This album begins very strongly with tracks like "Velvet Rope", "My Need" and "Go Deep" being incredibly crafted, catchy and entrancing. However, it seems to lose it's glory the longer it goes on. In particular, I find the slower songs don't emotionally impact me and songs like "Tonight's The Night" land very monotonously though I understand the appeal. Overall, there is definitely material worth returning to with some very smooth vocals ... read more

Some really great tracks which evoke an impressive similarity to Beach House, especially on “Dark Dark Bright” and “Husband & Wife”. Unfortunately, many other tracks don't hold the same allure.

Best $1.65 ever spent.

This series of EPs is quite a mixed bag as some of the songs are genuinely incredible while sometimes being surrounded by lulls.

-----FROSTED-----
Beginning the "Winks & Kisses" series, "Frosted" brings some pretty straightforward and forgettable songs.

"Liquid Paper" has a pretty entrancing vocal melody alongside some shimmering guitars that set up the next two tracks, which unfortunately fall flat and don't live up to what I was expecting. "Kiss ... read more