Soft Fascination

With the return of founding member JT to the fold, Islet continue to roll with the changes on Soft Fascination. Turning away from the synth-psych idylls of 2020s Eyelet, they span the extremes of their music on their sixth album, putting noisy outbursts on its first half and more reflective songs on the second. The band recorded most of Soft Fascination live, and the immediacy of their performances ignites many of the highlights. "Sherry" pairs vibrant imagery -- imbibing the titular drink, sunlit hair -- with fractured synths and a slapping beat that call to mind Daphnis techno in the raw. "River Body"s spiky verses fall somewhere between post-punk and Afropop while its choruses fuse the grind of industrial and grunge with satisfying heft. "Flailing" is another surprisingly successful hybrid, merging the busy beats of 90s dance music with blurry shoegaze harmonies. "Hat Person"s airy electronic pop and the sweetly narcotic finale "Kits" are among the standouts of the albums quieter moments. ~ Heather Phares