The perfect sort of record for the dead of winter, the warm new one from The Gentle Spring, a band with Michael Hiscock (The Field Mice) in it, is one of the highlight's of this week. Blending heartfelt lyrics, lilting melodies, and an earnest approach that's really refreshing, the music here on Looking Back at the World is the kind which restores a listener's faith in the very possibilities of indie to convey so much, so winningly.
Joined by Emilie Guillaumot and Jérémie Orsel, Michael serves up numbers on which he takes the lead -- like on the early lead single "Sugartown" -- and others -- like the absolutely lush and beautiful "Severed Hearts" -- where Emilie does the honors. On each cut here, there's an astute approach being heard. The harsher and cynical "Untouched" is every bit as good as the elegant title cut, with both echoing peak Go-Betweens tracks even as they both bounce between different vibes in emotional terms. And while material like "The Reason Why You Lie" is one of a few selections here which will earn comparisons to Michael's old band, the majority of Looking Back at the World sounds like much more than a Field Mice side.
The Gentle Spring are one of the few indie acts in the last year or so where I've heard such care and thought put into the tracks. By that I mean that there are plenty of groups in this genre who can conjure up some pleasant memories of jangle-rock with a few chiming guitars and a winsome hook. Far more rare is the band which can delineate a myriad of emotions. There's real variety of mood in Looking Back at the World, and it's the sort of offering that makes this reviewer reach for that chamber pop tag. I mean, "Severed Hearts" is so precise and sharply realized that I can think of no other way to describe this sort of material. Elegant but warm, reserved yet full of heart, the cut is one of many here which will leave you thinking that here in the arid wilds of January you're hearing one of the very best records of 2025 already.
Looking Back at the World by The Gentle Spring is out on Skep Wax this Friday. Details via that site, or via the Skep Wax Bandcamp.
[Photo: Skep Wax]