Lorna Irvine reviews 'one of the most fully-formed debuts in years'.
North London lads Gengahr's debut album is a summer peach of a release--fuzzy, but velvet and delicate. If you think that analogy is a little off, listen to Heroine, the anthemic single that is proving irresistible with each listen, and follow-up to the brilliant, hooky She's A Witch. It's a bittersweet, beautiful thing, with Pavement-slacker guitars and keening vocals.
And so too is the album--forever teetering between daydreams and nightmares, it's one of the most fully-formed debuts in years. Felix Bushe's sweet androgynous voice is at the heart of what makes Gengahr so special: he sounds so hopeful one minute, utterly bereft the next.
Opener Dizzy Ghosts is perfect sun-dappled pop, as is Embers,which sees John Victor's psych guitar fused with distinctly African rhythms, but Bathed In Light, with its chanted backing vocals, goes to some dark places: 'The smile in your voice makes me want to vomit,’ chides Bushe. Powder too has delicate funk which suddenly frowns: dark, gritty and paranoid, like a horrible comedown.
Trampoline meanwhile fades in softly, more introspective with surf guitar and underwater vocals, evoking lysergic sugar lump experimentation so beloved of Love, The Beach Boys et al. Yet throughout, there remains a sense of vulnerability, melodies and joy always seemingly on the brink of collapse. The perfect time to take stock really, when nights get longer.
Gengahr are the ultimate contradiction, like rain in June. You can bet a thousand cider-soaked hearts will break when they hit the festivals.
A Dream Outside is released on Transgressive, June 15th.
Gengahr - A Dream Outside - Album Trailer: http://youtu.be/ewHo0llFAeQ
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