The epically (and rather cumbersomely) named Letting Up Despite Great Faults is / are described as ‘the sonic diary of founding member, Mike Lee’. As this is his / their first release since 2009, either he’s not had much to write about, or has been so occupied that he’d been forgetting to take notes. With six tracks (including the bonus number ‘Helium’) and a running time of 21 minute ‘Paper Crush’ sits between mini-album and EP and one could complain that it’s a rather lean offering. To do so would be rather churlish, though, and ‘Paper Crush’ provides a clear idea of what the LA act are all about – namely dreamy indie pop wrapped in a soft fuzz of analogue synths and generously deep reverb.
Lee’s vocals are low in the mix, and are a bit too insipid and wet-sounding for my tastes, but if the jangly sound of ‘Sophia in Gold’ is a touch twee, then the buzzing, all-out treble-fest that is ‘I Feel You Happen’ revisits classic shoegaze and brings added distortion, while ‘Teenage Tide’ is reminiscent of ‘Darklands’ era Jesus and Mary Chain.
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It’s not hard to see why people have been getting excited about Letting Up Stateside, and there’s every reason to believe that this debut UK release won’t receive a similarly enthusiastic reception.
Letting Up Despite Great Faults Online
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