From the moment the beautiful title track/opener of this album starts, this listener is met with the urge to cyber-hop over to Facebook and post a ‘look what I have found message’ on the various Dreampop groups I frequent.

However, ‘it is the something that stops me’ element of this album that makes it so endearing. For in tracks such as Syrup Go On, Reflection and the the incandescent Ego Sand (see below) there is a muscularity, that whilst stopping short at genuine shoegaze, also ensures that the swirl of dream pop machinations are tempered by grandiose public displays of distortion. It is something of a strange mix but one that is imminently alluring to jangle/dream pop/shoegaze fans alike.

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Already there is far too much going on to dismiss Syrup… as purely a one beautiful trick pony. However, just for good measure they seem intent on using the rest of the album to prove this assertion incorrect.

As such lower intensity tracks such as Who Am I Foolin‘, lead single Don’t Go (Riding Down the Cosmic Drain) and Dreams (see below) slip into the psyche-pop territory of the genuinely pretty, complete with the sort of 60s sweet pop inflections that bands like The Drovers or The Mamas and the Papa’s might have bestowed upon the world.

There is a sense that Syrup, Go On do not take themselves too seriously and simply play whatever their heart settles on at the time, upon which they layer a natural sense of playfulness and adventure to keep adding to their sonic soundscape…I could well be wrong and they could be the sort of band that have meticulous plans in place for every chord of every track.

However, I hope I never lose the ‘impression’ that they do things from their heart, because it is the most endearing characteristic of this album.

Artist Links:  Bandcamp  Facebook

Label Links:  valleyheatrecords.com, Bandcamp, Facebook, instagram.com, Twitter, SoundCloud,   YouTube