The Garlands - The Garlands

The Garlands' chiming indie pop places them firmly in the post-C86 timeline, following a straight line from the Flatmates and Talulah Gosh, past Heavenly and right up to the Tender Trap and the School to name a couple excellent contemporaries. Their debut self-titled album has twelve songs built around richly jangling guitars, heartbreakingly sweet melodies, and the crisp vocals of Christin Wolderth, who delivers the lyrics with an autumnal restraint that balances well with the sunny feel of the music. There’s not a lot of variety in the arrangements or the songs as they all stick to this classic indie pop formula, but thanks to the skills of the co-founder and songwriter Roger Gunnarsson (known for his own group Nixon but also for having songs covered by Sally Shapiro,) each song sounds like a single A-side. The record is mostly made up of hooky, instantly memorable up-tempo songs that bounce out of the speakers like eager to please puppies, but the handful tunes like “Chandeliers” and “Don’t Cry” that dial down the tempo (a little) and ramp up the melancholy are just as good. There are no wasted notes, no flashy guitar solos, no hip hop drum breaks, and almost nothing that places the album in 2012. Thanks to the timeless sound and time honored structure, The Garlands could have been made in 1986, 1992, or anytime after that. Anyone who has ever loved a female -fronted indie pop group that knows how to balance sunshine and sadness, can play with both ramshackle speed and masterful subtlety, and can pluck the tenderest heartstrings with a simple vocal harmony, will find much to love here. The Garlands can do all of that and their debut album is an instant indie pop classic that sounds great on the first listen and grows more essential with each spin thereafter.

The Garlands - Why I Don't Say Goodbye (2012) (Audio)

The Garlands - Open Arms

The Garlands - The Garlands

Genres: Pop/Rock

Released: November 27, 2012

Track list:

1. Forevermore

2. Don't Cry

3. Throw Away This Day

4. David

5. Chandeliers

6. Weakness Is Your Pose

7. Tell Me

8. Things Just Sound So Easy for You

9. Open Arms

10. Why Did I Trust You

11. Why I Don't Say Goodbye

12. Your Words