Sennen - New Quiet

7.0

In the Anglo-Saxon world, the independent label Sonic Cathedral serves somewhat as a beacon for everything related to the spectrum of shoegaze and dream pop sounds. Founded in the early 2000s—arguably the darkest period for the entire scene, when it was considered completely "out of fashion"—the label run by Nathaniel Cramp (a former NME journalist) acted as an incubator for the sonic legacy left behind by 1990s Britain, ferrying it toward the nu-gaze resurgence of the 2000s, which, as is well known, was primarily gathered on the other side of the ocean. After launching the careers of bdrmm and the solo career of former Ride guitarist Andy Bell, the label now introduces the comeback of a London quartet called Sennen (named, not coincidentally, after the Ride track) with their fifth album (a decade after their previous release). Already known to an international audience thanks to the inclusion of tracks like the near-jangly SOS in TV shows such as True Blood, the band now returns with a collection of dreamy, soothing ballads reminiscent almost of Belle and Sebastian.

Defining it as strictly shoegaze is very difficult: the crystal-clear vocals are the driving force of the album, and the guitars,however mellifluous and whammy-laden, do not aim to create the classic wall of sound dear to the genre. The tone is terribly polite, and rather than a night in an MBV-style club with earplugs, you can imagine this music as the soundtrack for a hike through the Cornish countryside. After all, the tracklist consists of just 8 songs, but their particularly extended length prevents them from being treated as disposable playlist fodder (where many might see a "drawback," yours truly can't help but appreciate it). Dig and Waves showcase a picking rhythm that at times recalls Teen Age Riot; Birds practically borders on folk; and the final coda of Today's the Day could easily have been written by The War on Drugs. New Quiet (yes, the title is quite emblematic) is an ecstatic record compared to their earlier, more Stone Roses-esque beginnings on Age of Denial, one to be absorbed intravenously rather than listened to through a smartphone speaker. By the time you reach the record's epilogue, you might just find an answer to the eternal question: "What would Coldplay be today without international stadium tours and collaborations with Beyoncé?"