Album Review: Moonlust by The Holydrug Couple

If dream pop tells us one thing about dreams themselves, it’s that they’re not really about wanting something. Be they of the sleeping or waking variety, they might flirt with some distant object of desire, but like The Holydrug Couple, they always refuse to behold this object with any definition or clarity, and they shrink away from all concerted plans to obtain it. Moonlust, the Chilean duo’s sophomore album, is a perfect example of this evasiveness.

Full Review >>

The Holydrug Couple's 2011 debut EP Ancient Land and their 2013 full-length Noctuary were drenched in gauzy, unintrusive Euro psychedelia. They didn't spiral the outer limits so much as explore the subtler aspects of inner headspace. That said, they held the listener's attention and caught her up in their drifts. On Moonlust, the Chilean duo of Ives Sepulveda and Manuel Parra remain in the retrosphere but move in a different musical direction.

Full Review >>

You know about the big releases each week, but what about those smaller albums which may have passed underneath your radar. Don’t miss out on the smaller, lesser-known gems which might become some of your favourites. We’ve rounded up six of the best new album releases from this week: catch up ….

Full Review >>

Concocting a 2013 acid-pop trip more gentle than synapse-frying on second LP Noctuary, Santiago, Chile, duo THC hops a different train for follow-up Moonlust. Indulging a love of French electro, the band itself admits that most of the tunes owe a debt to Air: pop melodies, languid tempos, breathy vocals, synth-led textures – the feel of the Milky Way's favorite coffee bar. The twosome keeps the tunes percolating and the atmosphere spacey, whether crooning "Baby, I'm Going Away" and "If I Could Find You (Eternity)" or exploring wordless sounds ("Generique Noir") and a "French Movie Theme." Derivative but entertaining.

Full Review >>