Still Corners’ debut Creatures Of An Hour was an intimate 60s influenced experience where singer Tessa Murray’s sultry voice reigned supreme, a formula they seemed so comfortable with it seemed unlikely they would ever want to break from it.
Unlikely, but apparently not impossible. Where that record belonged to Murray, follow up Strange Pleasures is the child of instrumentalist Greg Hughes who replaces the haziness of their previous effort with glistening 80s Italo-disco that would feel at home on the Drive soundtrack.
It’s a surprising, muscling up of their sound, similar to Beach House’s move from the tea table intimacy of Devotion to the stadium filling Bloom, but with one key difference; the transition was a lot easier for one member than the other.
Where Hughes is obviously very comfortable crafting this sort of music, Murray seems tentative and at times uncomfortable in her new surroundings. Rather than let this be the record’s downfall it becomes its grounding strength. She’s like a lost little girl exploring a surreal and wonderful new world.
There are moments where she finds her feet like the souring single “Fireflies”, but a testament to her talents, she’s just as powerful and perhaps even more interesting when she seems dwarfed by what’s around her.
Strange Pleasures is a bold statement from a group who are far more diverse and talented than they initially appeared. These compositions are remarkably complex and take time to fully unravel, especially if accustomed to their earlier work. Once you grow familiar with them they are wonderfully hard to let go of.
