London dreamers The Death Of Pop unveil ‘700 Spas’ via Bristol imprint Leisure Records, it’s the first taste of their upcoming EP ‘Heads West’.
Last year, The Death Of Pop released the criminally overlooked full-length Fed Up. It was a record that not only built on the band’s previous jangly shoegaze inclinations but probed further into spacious synth arrangements and kaleidoscopic psychedelia. Songwriting had been honed, melodies were abundant and the group perfected those glorious multi-layered vocal harmonies which recalled Ride in all their youthful pomp and splendour.
‘700 Spas’, their first musical foray since Fed Up, is a short, sharp shock of jangly indie that manages to fit a surprising number of unexpected twists in musical direction and turns of mood into no more than two minutes and ten seconds. Opening with staccato guitar stabs and gradually ascending vocal harmonies, the track shifts between a somewhat sombre, melancholy verse and sunny, almost spritely chorus. Galloping drums, giving strong prominence in the mix, drive the track forward with an urgency and feverish energy before bringing it to a close in a final bombardment of rapid-fire kick drum. It certainly possesses the dreamy qualities in which TDOP have previously explored, but the song’s irresistible vitality provokes the sensation of daydreaming whilst on speed.
With their signature sound concentrated so intensely within this vibrant nugget of near-perfect pop, the masterful songwriting on display here suggests an invigorating new direction for The Death Of Pop.
Their forthcoming EP- ‘Heads West’ will be available via Bristol imprint Leisure Records on March 16th with a free show in London in April to celebrate the groups return.
The Death Of Pop Live:
APR 28 – The Death Of Pop @ The Shacklewell Arms, London – FREE
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By George Percival
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