Having been hooked already by “Give It Up” and “Soundry” in the prior weeks, There’s Talk today released their new EP, bathed water moon, which can be streamed in full above and on Bandcamp.
Oakland trio There’s Talk craft an intoxicating atmosphere throughout opening track “Give It Up”. Olivia Lee’s float with ethereal, melodic precision, her dreamy presence reminiscent of Hope Sandoval. The other two members, Kellen Balla and Young Lee, lend to the soundscape, parts Stranger Things with the ensuing synth arps and other parts Twin Peaks (this act would have been a perfect fit in one of the reboot’s closing sequences). Atmospherically, it especially excels in the second half with its dream-pop shimmer. Flourishes of jangly guitars enter the mix sporadically, a la Beach House or The xx. In all, it makes for an entirely consuming sound, touting both a strong melody and atmosphere that grips and never lets go.
Regarding the next track: “The Soundry was a darling, ephemeral art collective housed in a converted garage- the only one of the sort in my Virginia hometown,” member Olivia Lee explains. “I was an angsty teen who absolutely lived for it every week, each time trying actively to contain my excitement at the sights and sounds of other misfits and weird music lovers. I devised new covers, secretly sandwiching my own songs, to share at the weekly open mic where I met the host, a charismatic soul with an authoritative humour reminiscent of Jack Black: Sean Meyers. In a short time we played an Avante ambient folk show at a dive in D.C. together, contributed noises to a haunted house soundtrack, and he encouraged me to put together the first show of my own songs at The Soundry.”
“I eventually moved to San Francisco for college and Sean checked in often to hear big city tales and see when I’d come back and play. In our last exchange, I promised soon. I was heartbroken to hear he had been taken too soon in a motor accident. Sean lives alive in the currents and my heart, and I laugh to myself when he sends me an extra farty sound through the VCA.”
New track “I Saw You There” and the previously released “In Your Hands” cap off the quality EP.
