Indie-pop is often a genre that can get shifted under carpets and forgotten due to the nostalgic burden that it bears. It takes the attitude of the noughties and shows this to the musicality of the 80s. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it trips and falters as MGMT have proved with their latter works which have thrust them into the black hole of the genre. Night Moves are a band that emerged in 2012 with their debut LP, Coloured Emotions; an album that was suggested by Pitchfork to be the perfect country-psych gem. Bearing this in mind, it’s interesting to see how their sophomore release breaks their mould and tests pulses that were previously alien to the Minneapolis trio. The psychedelic groove is evident, but the country sheen is shed on their follow up, but how does this pan out across the album?

Released by Domino, the album spans further into the electronic field with links to the Future Islands style, there is more of that vocal whine perched upon synth-fuelled hooks and utopian grooves. There are still hints of the Neil Young styled guitar, particularly something that is evident within the luscious melodies it supports within ‘Leave Your Light On’. The track itself is testament to how they are finding their pop vein and really pushing themselves through it. What staples a pop song is an argument that is often debated until the sun comes up, however ultimately, in my humble opinion it is the ability for it to be as contagious as the smile of a keeper as he leads you through the ward of a mad house. This is what John Pelant now possesses the capability to do within his often quirky, unique vocal pattern. It doesn’t necessarily catch you on the first listen but by the third or fourth, you sure as hell find yourself humming it as you mooch around the local supermarket.

The album opener, ‘Carl Sagan’ knocks heavily upon the door of artists that have recently done so much for the genre, the likes of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Allah-Las and Foxygen. Suitably, the emphasis within this song rests heavily upon the keyboard work of Mark Ritsema, building and subtly removing swells all the while remaining the catchy-as-hell melody that taped away within the song. The first single from the new album, ‘Denise, Don’t Wanna See You Cry’ begs closer to the mantle of pop more than any other track, the quick fire drumming pattern that outlines the isolation of Pelant’s vocals sees the group fall oh so close to the likes of The 1975. Particularly the way they mirror the sound throughout with their neon-fuelled imagery tucked away within the music – this acts as testament as to how they have sat back as a band and taken the four years to ditch their previous country-psych statement for something more substantial. Something more fulfilling and clever.

The likes of ‘Border On Border’ demonstrate how they have grown from their Kurt Vile, War On Drugs scene – the country-folk-psych route is interesting by all means but, it’s fairly one dimensional. Fuzz up a few guitars and put it on top of a reasonably nice melody and talk about things pastoral and hazy; ‘Border On Border’, ‘Hiding In The Melody’ and ‘Alabama’ all act as testament against this notion. ‘Hiding In The Melody’ stands as the seven and a half minute centre piece to the album. What is remarkable to this band is their ability to make it seven and a half minutes of intrigue. It’s jam-packed with honey dipped groove that would rot the teeth of any human who is susceptible to a bit of sweetness in their music. It shows the fantastic range of Pelant’s vocals all the while, supported by the fantastic musicianship of bassist Micky Alfano and Ritsema. It spans far and wide, tempos jumping and shifting at all times. It moves with graciousness whilst packing in those big Tame Impala psychedelic-drop outs.

‘Staurolite Stroll’ opens with the epic punk tempo that The Men showcased on their work with New Moon – it’s majestic as it demonstrates not only a different angle to the band but this album in general. It certainly packs in some of the Dylan twist that is obvious within their debut effort, however it updates it and shoves it full of adrenaline. It leaps out the traps at the start and races round like a whippet. It has ups and downs and finds some small gap within the sound to place the big chorus that is necessary in this music. It begins to emerge that this an album of perfectly crafted songs. Pelant and co are certainly not ones to rest on their laurels, the four year wait was worth it.

They barely slip up throughout and where they do, it is when they tend to lean upon their previous, middle of the road roots. This music in the grand scheme of things isn’t necessarily bad but when you have been given a taster of the calibre of material they can produce, it just feels largely mundane and lacklustre. ‘Kind Luck’ shows they have a more gentle side, but this isn’t necessarily needed anymore as the rest of the album just passes it by without looking back.

As the album flickers out with ‘Only To Live In Your Memories’ the predictable slow jam closes the second leg of Night Moves’ catalogue. As Pelant rushes in with the opening lyrics: “Give me your tired eyes” you can’t help but feel he is directly referencing the audience. It’s a foot tapping marathon from the start to finish, you only realise this as you look at your fitness app on your iPhone and notice that your step-meter as gone through the roof claiming you have now trekked the leg of the UK. As sophomores go, the glitter and sun-kissed journey of Night Moves demonstrate a band that have spent a long, long time writing this album. As an album, it is not going to set the world alight purely because it doesn’t offer anything that is new or pioneering as such, but, it does pinpoint the essentials of indie-pop with a psychedelic glimmer. It’s come at the right time of year and without the rush, it’s evident that Night Moves have had the chance to find themselves a little more within a dense genre.
Tom Churchill

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