Labels: Fortuna Pop! – Slumberland
Review by: MH
We have here a split record featuring four bands who each deliver two tracks and all are of differing hues of indie pop. Although I’d only heard of The Spook School prior to picking this up for review I was pretty confident it would be good as it features The Spook School, who I already know are great, and it’s also been released by Fortuna POP! (R.I.P) and Slumberland Records who have put out a ton of great music over the years.
The tracks here are split across the record so you get a mix of each of the bands instead of two tracks by the same band followed by another couple by another band. It really works as a standalone compilation and all four bands complement each other very nicely. Both tracks by The Spook School are absolutely cracking and show two sides with the energetic and noisy opener, and the melancholy bounciness of “Gone Home”. Both are very loud too when the guitars get going. Great band. Mercury Girls are probably the find of the EP for me with their kind of upbeat dream pop – shades of Lush to their sound based on these two tracks too. They come from Philadelphia and feature members of Literature and Little Big League amongst others. Both their tracks have me very excited to hear more from them – great tunes and a nice jangle and drive to the songs. Wildhoney from Baltimore also dabble in shoegazey dream pop and offer something similar to Mercury Girls. “Horror Movie” is mid-paced and lovely while the drifting shimmering of their “T L (Reprisal)” makes for a lovely ending to the record. I was a little undecided on Tigercats based on the poppier first track but the louder and more energetic “Rent Control” won me over with its noisiness and brash chorus. All in all it’s a winner.