Times may change, and music scenes may change, often drastically. The evolution of indiepop happens at a much more steady pace though, with those familiar underground icons of the 1980s still being the most prominent influence on bands of that persuasion. There are groups out there who are intent on simply revisiting this sound, but there are also those who select other elements from guitar music's past and present to incorporate into their tunes. New York collective Gingerlys can have no complaints about being given the indiepop tag, it's clear that this is what they're aiming for, so denial would have them looking foolish. We could run through a list of the icons hinted at above, but you know who they are and what they sound like, and as Gingerlys borrow heavily from them, it's perhaps better to look at what else they bring to the mix.
Firstly, the title-track here touches on the college-rock of the next decade, applying a little more fuzz and steering them towards shoegaze just a little. It's a total head-rush though, spilling melody as it rushes by at breakneck speed and trailing glitter in its path. A delightful opening. 'Afterglow' drops the pace but not the dreaminess. The soft female vocal is both sultry and somewhat ethereal at the same time, and here they again borrow from early '90s indie and alt-rock, yet you could never describe them as heavy in any way at all; this is a song that floats up to the clouds where it belongs. To complete what is a very fine trio of tunes we then get 'Better Hearts' which sticks closest to C86 in the way that the guitars are given more of a hammering, but synths are allowed to join in the fun and it leaves a melodic stream in its wake once more. Pure ear candy.
Gingerlys' website
Buy the EP
Catch them live:
1/18 - @ Liza Minnelli House (Penn State, PA)
3/7 - @ Writer's Block (New Paltz, NY)
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