Dreaming Kind

Since the re-formed Orchids found their stride with 2020s The Lost Star, theyve sounded just as unbeatable as they did in their initial incarnation as Sarah Records resident Scottish dreamers. 2022s Dreaming Kind is their third post-comeback triumph, and it features all the things that make the band so great: James Hacketts yearning vocals, John Scallys wonderfully meandering guitar melodies, Ian Carmichaels nimble production style, and above all, the breathtaking songs that capture the beauty and sadness of life. As always, their music has a mix of fragility and resilience, and its made brilliant through performances that are almost painfully tender while at the same time being oddly uplifting. Sometimes theres nothing more heartwarming than singing out your sadness at the top of your lungs, and the Orchids have again provided a soundtrack for just such an experience. Tracks like "This Boy Is a Mess" (which is one of the albums biggest surprises and calls to mind vintage Echo & the Bunnymen) and "Echoes" have a little bit of forward momentum, putting a tiny bit of bite into the blues. Other songs dig right into the torpor and pain, wallowing in the gloom like its a warm bath. Hearing the band, and especially Hackett, dive into a deep pool of murky emotion is one of the great joys of being an Orchids fan, and there are some prime examples here. "Isnt It Easy," a chamber ballad that comes complete with a slowly building string arrangement, is a fine example of how the band are able to transmit aching sadness without burying the listener in it. So is the gentle, jangle pop-meets-Prefab "I Should Have Thought," a song that proves once and for all that the Orchids are more than just an "indie" proposition. They have the big emotions and can deliver them in as widescreen a fashion as any group one might care to mention. Along with the varying degrees of heartbreak on offer, the band do dish out a few more lighthearted moments, like the almost funky, sample-based mellow groover "I Dont Mean to Stare" and the jubilant "Limitless#1 (Joy)." These are fleeting glimpses of sunshine; the rest of the record is as gloomy as a gathering storm, only the clouds arent foreboding, they are beautiful. The Orchids have been making records like this since they first started, and apart from the occasional production choice, they havent changed much -- and thats just fine. Groups who can truly capture the real feelings of love and life while wrapping them in pretty melodies are few and far between; the Orchids are one of them, and Dreaming Kind is the band at their heartbreaking, heartwarming best. ~ Tim Sendra