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Friday 13 June 2014

review : by the sea // i see a crystal sky



By The Sea are the quite possibly the most underrated band out there at the moment, or as Bill Ryder-Jones once put it: “the kind of band that in ten years everyone will pretend they loved in the early days”. Very true.
Their self-titled debut album was released back in 2012, and provided us with nine tracks of the most heavenly surf-rock/dream-pop goodness. But this summer brings album number two - Endless Days, Crystal Sky - and the band have given us a preview with 'I See A Crystal Sky'.
Unlike some bands who take a different route with every album and completely re-invent themselves, it would seem that By The Sea are simply letting their sound evolve naturally, which is how it should be done. On 'I See A Crystal Sky' any remnants of surf-rock from their debut have been washed over; the jangly guitars have been smoothed out to the point of being unrecognisable. Synths are brought to the forefront – being the overriding element on this track – and the vocals are far more prominent, having previously been merely a distant echo. The synth-led sound will hopefully gain them some well-deserved recognition, potentially appealing to the hoards of Horrors/Toy fans out there.
Whilst it’s quite an obvious transition sonically, it still works because these guys have the knack for making great music, the sort of music that would soundtrack your dreams, and that’s pretty hard to come by. Endless Days, Crystal Sky is set for release on August 18th.


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