The odd Dutch band makes its way onto The Sound Of Confusion, but probably not as many as we should cover, simply down to not hearing about them. Maybe a playlist like our recent post-Soviet scene report could be in order? After all, Netherlands isn't far from our own UK scenes, or those of the Scandinavian countries we repeatedly feature. A little of that dreamy magic has drifted south though, and it can be found in this new EP from Nouveau Vélo (I haven't checked and can't speak Dutch, but does that mean "new bike"?) which is shoegazey, dreampoppy indie that cites its references as past bands The Feelies and Galaxie 500, as well as modern bands Real Estate and Diiv. So that's two modern bands who are heavily influenced by the two defunct bands they mention then; you should be starting to build a mental picture of the sound of this record.
And you've probably got it spot on. Guitars are sharp but distorted, drums are buried in the mix, the whole thing is enveloped in a shroud of mist, including the vocals which entwine themselves in the sound instead of being pushed out front. This is only opening track 'Asleep' by the way, they have more. The wonderful 'Kite' follows and takes us back in time, showing us why they mentioned The Feelies. It's livelier and a definite highlight. Another instant hit is the brief 'Surfing Her wave (Reprise)' which gives way to the heavy echo and jangle-powered 'Like A Sun', another splendid tune, but they're still not done. The final pairing of 'Nostalgia' and 'Aurora' continue this fine vein of form, the former in particular showing that Nouveau Vélo are staring at the stars just like the rest of us.
Nouveau Vélo's website
Stream or buy the EP
Catch them live:
10 May - OT301 / Amsterdam (SOTU Festival)
18 May - ACU / Utrecht (Le Mini Who)
23 May - Hall of Fame / Tilburg (with Reiziger)
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