When a band loses a key component they can either attempt to replicate it, to normally to poor effect, or instead move in a new direction. For their third album TOY have chosen the latter in what is perhaps not their best, but most consistent effort to date. Alejandra Diez’s synthetic excellence was a major draw to the band’s sonic output in their first two albums and she has handed the baton to Max Oscarnold, with the result being a more direct contribution from the keyboard. Gone are the idiosyncratic noises associated with the Iberian Korg queen and in comes a more traditional approach. Oscarnold is using the instrument for specific melodies rather than the overall soundscape.

“The sound of folk music and how it progressed in a modernising world interested us and I think that influenced the sound in some way,” explained singer/guitarist Tom Dougall. He and his bandmates did indeed employ a conventional folk attitude to production with known tech whizz Dan Carey being replaced behind the boards by David Wrench. Recorded live at Eve studios in Stockport over an intense 12-day period, the LP is far more condensed and linear than former productions.

One key characteristic of Clear Shot is the five-piece’s notable departure from the epic psych freakouts witnessed in the likes of ‘Kopter’ and ‘Fall Out of Love’. These elongated motorik rushes were a characteristic almost unique to TOY within the modern musical landscape and their removal has revealed symphonic pop songs with a greater emphasis placed on the vocal harmonies from Dougall. It is a coherent album that sees the London band definitively choosing a specific direction which ties them down to a framework of melodic sensibilities; revealed after the removal of the effect laden guitar tones.

The title track initially drags out for a pensive three minutes before it bursts into life in what is perhaps the closest the group come to replicating their debut record. ‘Another Dimension’ and first single ‘Fast Silver’ follow shortly after in a mournful, cinematic ten minutes. Recent release ‘I’m Still Believing’ then brings the record to life in what is the most commercially viable composition the band has ever produced; guitars and keys vie for your attention for three minutes of harmonising interchanges in front of the backdrop of transparent Bernard Sumner esque-lyricisms.

“If I'm leaving
I'm still believing
It's always been my way”

Dougall nasalises in his customary assured way.

Third single ‘Clouds That Cover the Sun’ is a melancholic overdose for the group before Charlie Salvidge’s militaristic drum sounds in ‘Jungle Games’ and the grand arpeggiated cathartic release of ‘Dream Orchestrator’ brings back a sense of urgency to proceedings. ‘We Will Disperse’ and ‘Spirits Don't Lie’ then finds the band in far more comfortable surroundings before the devastating ‘Cinema’ guides the listener into what initially feels like a dreary climax before a calamitous synthetic wave takes control in a momentous finish to the album.

Clear Shot is a good, but not a great album that sees TOY’s brand of shoegaze-infused krautrock swapped for 60s influenced psych. Although they may have slightly held back on experimentation, the record still sounds like them and they’ve managed to retain their tag of being one of the most forward-thinking and astute UK groups.
Paul Hill

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