Pastel Beach
Self Released
A summery funk riff accompanied by some fruity brass make track one stand out straight away. This punchy album of twelve short tracks doesn't hit half an hour in length but the richness of the offerings make up for it. Clever mixing and a rhythm in a lazy tempo for Sparkle gives the shimmering feel that warms us up. The vocal sample is used as an instrument, making a ghostly appearance in track one, then taking the stage in Puerto Rico, non verbal exclamations float gently on the smooth lapping waters.
Luau takes a tropical turn, pangs of Albatross make their way over in little clouds, but the flavour is new and enticing. A delicately formed progression and melody weaves over itself for a short moment, until La La La, which brings a vocal line into play once more. Again, it's expressive but mostly non-verbal. A shift in gear reveals a new side to the track, everything is slowed to the close and the reverb is warmed up to a much higher degree.
The fade gives way to a happy guitar and piano piece, that sensation from track one is brought back into play for Seaside Lounge, and the atmosphere is one of fun and relaxation. A neat little frill and guitar jam ends the very short piece on the sound of the ocean revealing the next track like a shoreline at low tide. That funk element rekindles itself and the female vocal overlaps matched with an energetic rhythm puts a new shot of something into the glass.
A remix of a Panthurr track takes the next slot, and it works as well as the other ones, a chilled and sunshine sounding scoring drifts along in repetitive motions. Our experience is nudged along in abstract sandwiches of musical snippets, and the tracks fly past fairly quickly. To say it is released in January, and it holds the glow of warm sunny days, the medicinal effects are instantly accessible and as time goes on, it stands able to become a soundtrack for many people's warmer months.