Memorials: Memorials Waterslide (digital outlets)

This impressive debut by Britain's Verity Susman and Matthew Simms cleaves close to classic, upbeat pop heading towards psychedelia with Susman's seductive vocal delivering venturesome lyrics which compliment the twisting melodies: “Turning back to an imaginary hearse, two white horses pulling towards the door. You’re too late to write the book” on the opener Acceptable Experience.

This is widescreen stuff – no surprise to learn they've done soundtracks – full of sonic detail (the buzz in Cut It Like A Diamond with “Can you hear the hum? Is there an end to loneliness?") and an enthusiastic rush as if time was running out.

There are breathing spaces however, for example the folksy Name Me with acoustic guitar, distant and layered vocals . . . which however devolves into a fascinating melange of tape loops and other sounds which raise the tension for the final minute.

This is mainstream music with avant-garde inclinations, disruptive tendencies (the abstract noise and sound collage of Memorials Waterslide II) and even comfortable enough in its own world to lean into slowly unveiling ambience of the nine minute atmospherics in the spacey, gloom-folk of I Have Been Alive (“Look through the dusty halls. Look out across the foggy hills. It’s all coming down . . .”).

Or the reductive tape-loop, late-Sixties/post-punk pop minimalism of Book Stall: “By the book stalls on The Strand, television is tuned to the outermost reaches of time. Others mostly passing by”.

There is real beauty here which elevates and transports, but also plenty of familiar pop to keep it grounded and the attention constantly engaged, and sometimes amazed.

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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here.