The debut EP from Brighton's Winter Gardens is here and it's a beautiful, surprising thing. The four-piece have dropped some superb singles before, but Tapestry reveals just how capable they are at mood and balance. In that sense, this Austerity Records release offers up some surprises, especially for those who thought this band was just going to hit the "shoegaze" pedal hard and drive things into the heart of the sun.
That said, "Zigzanny" does exactly that. A near-euphroic rush of guitars and drums, the cut is a blast, as is the more modulated title number, the opener to Tapestry. That one blends hints of Love's Easy Tears-era Cocteau Twins with material that's altogeher louder and more forceful in spots. Similarly, "Laminar Flow" has a Cocteaus-worthy title, and a tinkling vibe that's very much like something Robin Guthrie might have dreamed up. "Wonders Break", the longer closer here on Tapestry, echoes nearly every band I liked in the early Nineties from the U.K., even as it adeptly soars above any easy genre pigeon-holing. Which is another way of saying that fans of shoegaze will likely love Tapestry as much as I did, even as the individual tracks veer off in other directions, or modulate the form with surprising variations.
Tapestry is out on Friday via Austerity Records.
More details on Winter Gardens via the band's official Facebook page.
[Photo: Winter Gardens Bandcamp]