Let's Skip To The Wedding

In its earliest days, Idris Vicunas solo project Eyedress fell more in line with the dark atmospherics and sludgy beats of the witch house movement, but it grew increasingly dreamier and brighter as it evolved. When Vicuna began introducing heavily processed guitar lines into his arrangements, Eyedress moved away from its early bleakness and into territory more similar to King Krules fractured songwriting or Mac Demarcos wobbly indie rock. Lets Skip to the Wedding is the first Eyedress album since Vicuna returned to America after a time in his homeland of the Philippines, and the sound has reached new levels of both lovestruck romanticism and faded lo-fi production. The record begins with its title track, a 98-second miniature with the same warped bass lines, muted electronic drums, and buried vocals that made Ariel Pinks early material so alien and so captivating. Eyedress knack for intricate guitar lines and glassy synth sounds sets him apart from the well-traversed territory of lo-fi pop obscurists like Ariel Pink or John Maus. His songs are structured more straightforwardly as well, and themes of love, devotion, and tenderness come through in songs like Skateboarding Day, Can I See You Tonight?, and Romantic Lover. The moody synths and shadowy grooves impart some songs with an R&B undercurrent, but then are quickly upended by oddities like the punk/rap/surf I Dont Wanna Be Your Friend. Its a strange yet sweet web of homespun styles, sounding like a lost post-punk tape one minute (the goth-tinged Last Time Im Falling in Love) and a Prince demo the next (the wild falsetto vocals of Never Been to Prom). In the albums back end, a few songs feature unexpectedly vocoded lead vocals. Lets Skip to the Wedding goes all over the place, but its glued together by Vicunas adventurous songwriting and warmhearted themes. ~ Fred Thomas