Official rating: 84
Silky smooth. Almost too smooth. Drums patter along under lulling, numbed synth waves while whispertalk rolls over them like a velvet red carpet. Trying not to slip into a peaceful slumber is actually difficult. Sweden’s latest chillrock, coming from The Radio Dept. conjures Slowdive and the like on their urban-edged, nighttime album, Pet Grief, at the intersection of synthpop and slowrock, backlit with shoegaze.
The highly comforting, interstellar sound flows throughout the album, and at it’s peaks, hatches a new wave beat continuity with a numbing effect broken only by piano crashes and lite guitar riffs. Reserved, cozy, and poignant.
