8/10

Label: No Pain In Pop   |   Released: 25.06.12

With the tragic death of their drummer occurring just days before the release of Wild Peace, I can only hope that this really promising first album from the shoegaze revivalists will not also be their last. Many artists have been delving into shoegaze (droning effects-laden guitar hooks, melodic vocals, noisy haze) for inspiration recently, M83 and Pains of Being Pure at Heart among them, but I have yet to hear an act as faithful to the scene as Echo Lake. The bandÔÇÖs rich, hazy soundscape of synths, guitar effects and soft vocals delivers consistently throughout the albumÔÇÖs ten tracks, creating some beautifully dreamy songs such as shimmering opener Further Down, although a whole album like that would perhaps not be quite as listenable. However, straight after this the drums kick in, and from here on the songs are granted faster tempos. Young Silence for instance, gives the album more dynamics, and ensures that it doesnÔÇÖt get lost in its own foggy haze, which is a mistake many of their contemporaries have made. So while they are clearly more than capable of creating beautiful ┬á ┬á atmospherics, it is their ability to craft genuinely likable songs that sets them apart from other similar bands, ensuring that it isnÔÇÖt all shimmer and no substance.

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