It was only natural for Hater to modulate their sound when they made the leap from PNKSLM to Fire Records. And while the band's new record Siesta, out on Fire Records tomorrow, reveals a refinement of the Swedish band's approach, it's, like those earlier releases on that other wonderful label, just sublime. This is really, really special music.
In the past, Hater have sounded a tiny bit like Bettie Serveert, and there are moments here where I still feel that way ("Closer", "Things To Keep Up With"), but there are loads more where this band's music hits new transcendent peaks ("It's So Easy", "Your Head Your Mind"). At their very best, Hater whip up a rich stew on Siesta of indie-pop inspiration-points into something fresh, faint traces of The Cure peaking through the seams of "Cut Me Loose", or a near-Cocteau Twins-like elegance in "From The Bottom Of Your Heart", the first selection on this one. Caroline Landahl is really a fantastic vocalist, and she imbues these cuts with heart and a bit of mystery. It's not fair to call this shoegaze, but there's the same sort of vibe here that carried so many of those recent Slowdive songs to success, the languid "Fall Off", for example, or the cathartic whirl of "Seems So Hard" near the end of the album, being the best examples of what I'm talking about.
Siesta is an album that's easy to love. It's also the sort of album that one can positively sink into. Quietly euphoric, the tunes on Siesta reveal what a great band Hater has become.
Siesta is out tomorrow via Fire Records.
More details on Hater via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Kamila Schneltser]