New Release and Free Stream:
Out of View by
the History of Apple Pie
I’ve just finished giving an elated first listen
to Out of View, the debut full-length by London shoegaze quintet The History ofApple Pie, released just this past Monday. To my ears, this is a record of iridescently
classic shoegaze: fuzzy, gauzy, sweet, joyful-melancholy, and beautifully and
skillfully executed in every respect. And, beyond its genre, this release is
pretty classic pop altogether, with sparkling hooks and melodies and sentiments
like, “I have so much love to give,” “I’m in love, so in love” and “I will show
you love again...I’ll take you away” (lyrics unofficial).
All tracks feature lovely and effervescent
female harmony vocals, courtesy of guitarist/lead singer Stephanie Min and bassist/backing
vocalist Kelly Owens, that have already fuelled comparison to Lush. One can
certainly hear the MBV influence here, and another point of comparison might be
the gazier tracks of The Primitives. This music is not terribly original or
edgy—although moments of pushing the sonic envelope with extreme fuzz and
effects do occur, along with a refreshing antipodal textural foray into
acoustic guitar usage on the penultimate cut, “Long Way to Go” —but it is consistently
spot-on, without a weak or even relatively weak track in the bunch. On first
impression Out of View strikes me as practically an album of ten A-sides,
albeit sequenced with a savvy that generates a continuous propulsive flow and the
kind of cohesiveness that makes this a real album as opposed to a mere collection of good songs.
What’s more, The History of Apple Pie are
comprised of three appealing, slender mop-topped lads and two pretty and petite—can
I please just say extremely cute, in
a totally good way—young women with complementary haircuts (bangs galore),
making for one of the more adorable ensembles in recent memory:
You can buy an MP3 download from Amazon.
I see no evidence of domestic US availability of physical release, but several
CD and vinyl packages are being offered as store exclusives by Big Cartel across
the pond.
—Dan Joy
