Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Flowers - Everybody's Dying To Meet You

I've been among the fans of Flowers since I first heard and featured some of their demos a few years ago.  For their part, the London trio has rewarded us by getting even better on each outing.  And the proof is their new LP Everybody's Dying To Meet You.  Replete with soaring pop songs adorned with arrangements that are full, but not weighty, and deliver the perfect amount of reverb, fuzz and crunch to complement the jangle and hooks.  I expected a good album, but I think we got much more than that.

The combination of guitar, bass and drums evokes, without imitating, such worthies as Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Galaxie 500, Shop Assistants, Black Tambourine, and Cocteau Twins.  The songwriting has caught up with the promise of earlier recordings, and all the performances show increased confidence.  But what takes Flowers from "good band, isn't it?" to "shut up and listen to this" is Rachel's voice.  Impossibly high and clear as a bell, it is arresting, captivating, soothing and, to my ears, seductive.  Whether riding the uptempo noise pop or filling in the colors on a slow song, Rachel's vocal are memorable and affecting.  This is noise pop the way it should be played -- the Flowers are blooming early for Spring.

Everybody's Dying To Meet You is out now via Fortuna POP! in the UK and Kanine Records in the US.  Flowers are Rachel Kenedy (vocals/bass), Sam Ayres (guitar), and Jordan Hockley (drums).








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