Winks & Kisses: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Chicago-based shoegaze group Airiels first major statement wasnt their full-length debut, but a series of four EPs issued by Clairecords throughout 2003 and 2004. The four installments of Winks & Kisses (Frosted, Dizzy, Melted, and Crackled) established the bands lush, wistful style of dreamy indie pop, proving the group to be experts at creating aquatic washes of sound as well as heart-on-sleeve lyrics. The bands noisier, more abrasive efforts include the breezy, blown-out "Kiss Me Slowly," which marries Galaxie 500-like vocals with a Madchester-esque rhythm and a gale of guitars, and the tense, clattering "Jeanette," which nearly couldve fit on My Bloody Valentines Isnt Anything. Elsewhere, theres gentler, more spacious, and sometimes downright romantic songs like "Halo" (one of each EPs tracks to stretch out around ten minutes) and the late-era Cocteau Twins-reminiscent "Firefly." The blissful reverie "Sharron Apple" (later re-recorded for 2017s Molten Young Lovers) would be a career highlight for most bands, but it isnt even the best song from Melted. That would be the tremendous "In Your Room," which resembles an ecstatically happy cousin of Rides "Vapour Trail," and has reached a comparable cult status among shoegaze fans. Rounding out the final EP, "Where It Belongs" is crushingly heavy in an addictive way, and the swirling "Shirley Temple Tidal Wave" is comforting it its gloominess. Reissued multiple times due to fan demand (including a 2015 triple LP with bonus remixes and a 2023 remastered CD box loaded with demos and unreleased songs), Winks & Kisses is a highlight of shoegazes second wave. ~ Paul Simpson