Picture You Staring was one of my favorite albums of 2014; the group captured a cleanly atmospheric form of nocturnal pop that’s hard to rival. So, I’m always thrilled when a new TOPS track surfaces – as has been the case twice the past few months. First it was nocturnal crawler “Anything“, a brilliant display of the group’s sound as well as a showing of vocalist Jane Penny’s enthralling range. Now it’s “Hollow Sound of the Morning Chimes”, a track that’s just as epic and awesome as the name implies. Clean guitar licks and a neon-tinged synth whisper float around the steady percussion, with Penny’s vocals alternating between seductive whispers and melancholic beauty, especially in the “chained to my memory / can’t break free” chorus. The guitar-led, two-minute-long outro is perfect, to boot.
If you haven’t listened to Picture You Staring yet, get on it ASAP. Hopefully these two brilliant new efforts suggest a new album on the horizon from this Montreal-based quartet.
this song creates such a mood, her voice is so smooth