New York-based electronic duo Shy Child return this month with their forth studio album, Liquid Love. In a world crowded by electronic two-pieces you have to produce something pretty special to be acclaimed and Shy Child have come close, very close to being just that.
Falling firmly in the ever-present gap in genres between electronica, indie and, for want of a better name, ‘nu-gaze’, Shy Child have produced an album that will appeal to wide audience and provide great headphones material for anyone pulling an all-nighter in the coming weeks.
A couple of tracks really do stand out. In 7 minute epic Criss Cross, already released as a free download from their website, short synth sequences repeat in ever more detailed ways which proves to be the highlight of the album.
Lead singer Pete Cafarella appears to float above the electronic melee providing order to the chaos, unfortunately its either side of sample of an irrelevant interview, the only black mark in an otherwise brilliant piece. The track builds and builds into crashing finale which reveals the duo more sophisticated side away from the over abundance of chart-friendly electro-pop available at present. It also gives more than a nod to fellow NYC resident LCD Soundsystem’s longer pieces.
Shy Child – Disconnected [alt]
Disconnected takes the band on a more indie-electronica leaning and wouldn’t look out of place on a Cut Copy or Midnight Juggernauts album, albeit with a more rough-and-ready feel to it. A catchy chorus can take a song a long way and its no surprise that this has been chosen as the first single, not to do it a disservice as it really is a very accomplished track and most likely become many people’s favourite.
Original it is not, but Liquid Love is a very good album in the sense that it is very much a complete listening experience, not just an adhoc collection of tracks. Its immediate appeal will be for anyone who is a fan of indie-electronic crossover artists but even fans of more experimental acts such as Fuck Buttons will find a a couple of tracks worthy of their attention.
7/10
