Operating out of Brighton, Dan Reeves is essential a one-man band. His first release in a few years, True Love, is out today and it's wonderfully inventive and full of shimmering textures, and brightly-realized melodies. This is lo-fi, and DIY, yeah, but it's complex in the way that, say, old Olivia Tremor Control records were complex, and fuzzy in the right ways too, like the early offerings from Ultra Vivid Scene.
"Calling Our Your Name", an obvious highlight here, is crunchy and in line with stuff you might hear from the recent crop of Slumberland Records bands. Opener "A Whisper in Your Ear" is even more distinctive, a propulsive riff-rocker that feels like it's made up of layers and layers of sound. Elsewhere, "Goodbye Harmony" is a woozy bit of business, one which may invite dream-pop comparisons, even as the press for this mentions Television. There's a hint of Verlaine and company here, maybe, but Reeves is more interested in conjuring a mood, burying his direct hooks in waves of reverb and effects at times. That said, this isn't shoegaze, so let's get that out of the way right now too.
At his best, like on the Ride-ish "Where are You Going", Dan Reeves offers up a singularly astute take at all the best indie you listened to in the Nineties. By placing a premium on song construction, Dan skirts those labels that we were discussing. However, by giving this material a dense vibe, he surely is intent on placing himself in line with the pioneers from the Elephant 6 collective, or Kurt Ralske or early Lilys. True Love is meant to be listened to loudly, on headphones, I think, and it's the sort of thing you can get wonderfully lost in. And, on another level, it may be Reeves' best release to date.
True Love by The Soft Walls is out today. Go buy it on Bandcamp.
[Photo: The Soft Walls]