If the sheer brilliance of the previous three albums (the 2018 self titled debut is an absolute masterpiece) of this Karina Gill (aka Cindy) project was built upon the lowest of lo-fi production married to trite, tiny jangled riffs that felt almost extravagant amid the general beautiful malaise, then her re-union with original keyboardist Aaron Diko and the plugging of musical gaps by various members of Bay Area acts such as Flowertown, The Telephone Numbers, April Magazine and Sad Eyed Beatniks have contributed to heighten the beauty and indeed the sense of minimalism.

Initially, the aesthetic is so gloriously ‘churchy’. Not in the happy clappy way that followers of charismatic churches enjoy, but more specifically in the dank atmospheres of old cavernous stone churches where permanent echo accentuates a sense of monasterial and wood and stone punish worshippers for having the temerity to give praise. The perfect setting to emphasize melancholy.

As such, the spine tingling fragile beauty of August, Wednesday, Playboy, and Et Surtout feels like a jangly Mazzy Starr whisper at a particularly poignant funeral, whereas the slight chimes and comparatively effervescent melodic marches of Standard Candle #2 and lead single A Trumpet on the Hillside could accompany any bride down the aisle on their special moment.

Despite the omnipresent beauty of all of the above, the very best of this album is heard in Earthly Belonging and Playboy. Here Gill moves solidly into C86 and Marine Research style 80s indie pop disinterest with an anglophile aplomb that has not really been seen in her back catalogue so far.

Effectively Cindy has it all and the lack of packaging somehow accentuates that.

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