Days Go By

Delivered at the speed of a drowsy porch nap, 2021s Days Go By finds Cheval Sombre slipping deeper into a languid, dream folk atmosphere. A companion work to his previous 2021 full-length, the spacy Time Waits for No One, Days Go By is a low-key sequel that again pairs the singer/songwriter with his longtime associate Spacemen 3s Peter Kember (aka Sonic Boom). Along with Kembers ambient keyboard contributions, Sombre also brings along violinist Gillian Rivers and pianist Dias Pereira, both of whom add delicate but vital chamber pop touches. The album also reunites Sombre with Luna frontman Dean Wareham following their 2018 psychedelic western collaboration Dean Wareham vs. Cheval Sombre. However, rather than announce his presence with guns blazing, Wareham sidles in at the last minute, adding his distinctive tremolo electric guitar flourishes to the end of Are You Ready. With his hushed, nasally vocals and strummed acoustic guitar style, Sombre evokes the fractured flow of 60s icons like Donovan and Skip Spence. He builds his songs slowly, drawing out each phrase with a measured, narcotic patience. Its a laconic pace that befits the tectonic movement of the dream pop world Sombre is building. Nonetheless, his slow-motion energy feels intentional. Best listened to in one long, lazy spin, Days Go By works as a shimmering afterglow mirage of its space caravan predecessor. ~ Matt Collar