Souvenirs

Pale Blue Eyes operate out of a homebuilt studio called Penquit Mill in the picturesque South Devon market town of Totnes. As far removed as it is from Londons bustle, Totnes maintains a surprisingly robust creative scene, a centerpiece of which is the annual Sea Change Festival, where the band put together their final pieces in the late 2010s. Led by marital and creative partners Matt and Lucy Board, Pale Blue Eyes offer a beguiling strain of pop that pairs propulsive post-punk-meets-Krautrock rhythms with breathy dream pop. While playing at Sea Change during an earlier incarnation, the Boards met a then-teenage photographer called Aubrey Simpson, whom they later recruited to become the bassist of their next enterprise. Since debuting with a community-supported double A-side 7" in 2021, Pale Blue Eyes have ridden a steady wave of buzz ahead of their debut album, Souvenirs. Coming from such a bucolic setting, the band have an urban edge to their sound, kicking out energetic grooves with gritty bass and guitar lines that resemble a more motorik Bunnymen or the Cure. On the soaring "Globe" and the hook-driven "Little Gem," Matt Board threads his nimble vocal melodies, which are often complimented by tight synth counterpoints. Souvenirs experimental seven-minute centerpiece, "Dr. Pong," is a playful gem that fuses the kooky Django Django-like grooves with the kinetic Euro-shoegaze of someone like Ulrich Schnauss. Theres a lot to like among these ten tracks that offer a fairly wide tonal range while still adhering to a central vibe of cool grooves and big melodies. ~ Timothy Monger