We Are There

After debuting with 2016s enchanting Swell to Great, U.K. psych-folk outfit Modern Studies spent the next half-decade testing the boundaries of their unique sound. The groups ambitious follow-up, Welcome Strangers, seemed to receive the full bore of their creative might while 2020s Weight of the Sun was a much more downplayed foray into contemporary dream pop. With album number four, Modern Studies migrate toward their tonal center, collating their best attributes into a consistent and very appealing set of songs. As ever, the combined voices of Emily Scott and Rob St. John are the bands true north, guiding the music through the quiet glades of "Comfort Me" and the winding stream of "Two Swimmers," occasionally dipping into harmony, but more often in unison. The mood of We Are There is rich and loamy with hints of ancient Albion folk tradition and an insistent baroque pop presence thanks to its many fine string parts. The albums lyrical meeting of naturalist poetry and inward exploration only enhances the beguiling arrangements, which lean more toward the organic than some of the groups more recent synth-driven work. Perhaps the best of the bunch is "Wild Ocean," a magnificent specimen of lotic psych-pop that stands among the best songs Modern Studies have produced. The primary piano/guitar/bass/drums instrumental combination drives the ship with a sense of energetic reserve, especially on some of the more dynamic cuts like "Wont Be Long" and "Do You Wanna," over which the harmonic convergence of strings and voices plays out. As a collection, We Are There feels sophisticated yet elemental in its fine construction. It sounds like the work of a band who know themselves and trust their instincts. ~ Timothy Monger