Twice Ep

Description

The shiny, polished indie pop of their debut album is shaken up by bubbling analog synths and crashing guitars. Ben's guitar playing, totally unbridled here, seems to conquer new spaces, from plaintive drones à la Michael Rother to wah-wah-soaked riffs reminiscent of the great Eddie Hazel – all sometimes within the same song ("Floating") – while Charlie's ever-inventive drumming lays the foundations of the edifice. However, the band hasn't abandoned the melancholic melodies that made their reputation: "Speed Me Up" is a real gem of off-kilter indie pop. But it's the epic "Wave," with its opening reminiscent of Neu! (from their "Neu! 75" era) and Spiritualized, its development à la Kraftwerk's "Neon Lights," and its tsunami-like climax, which you've only too rarely heard lately, that is undoubtedly the key track of the EP: a perfect concentration of the band's new aspirations, between demanding songwriting and long-term psychedelic drifts.