Peel Dream Magazine: Agitprop Alterna (2020)

Here's another new one I just picked up.

Quick take: Do you like Stereolab? Do you like My Bloody Valentine and Lush? If yes, you'll like this.

Does the fact that it sounds a lot like Stereolab, with bits of My Bloody Valentine and Lush, make it any less entertaining? Nope, not a bit.  

Now, I went back and checked out their 2018 debut, and I'll admit it left me kinda dry. The sonics were there, but not the tunes (or, at least, they were not well served by the lo-fi production). This time around, they wrote some much catchier tracks, while upping the production values significantly, and it clicks.

Opener "Pill" sounds like an outtake from MbV's Loveless. Which, of course, is a pretty serious feat. Psychedelic shoegaze, perfectly executed. It's a banger! And it's followed by "Emotional Devotion Creator" which is... more of the same (almost like a continuation of the opening track), meaning it's also pretty great.

After that, they sort of ping-pong back and forth between organ-driven Stereolab-like electronica atmospherics and the more guitar-driven shoegaze blasts. I'm more partial to the latter ("Escalator Ism" and "Eyeballs" are quite winning), but some of the more stripped down stuff is enjoyable as well.

Anyway, not breaking a lot of ground here, but it's a fun listen if you like the obvious touchstones.

Here's the video for "Pill":

 ...and an audio rip of "Escalator Ism":