After the critically acclaimed debut full-length album, “Geography A,” exceptional Swedish duo Marble Raft returns with another fine piece of sonic artistry that will immediately wrap around your ears and refuse to let go long after this comprehensive collection of marvelous song ends. “Dear Infrastructure” is their latest full-length effort, arriving after “Marble Halls,” “To Have And To Hold And To Break” and “Rites Of Passage,” the series of perfect introductory singles that you should check out as soon as possible. Those who paid attention to our recent writings already had the pleasure of meeting this outstanding band while those stumbling upon their music for the first time may expect the glorious collision between brilliant ideas and excellent musicianship. By establishing its sound with an adorable combination of several different but complementary music genres, Marble Raft creates a luxuriant ambiance suitable for even the pickiest music enthusiasts. The band incorporates the fundamental elements of dream pop music, constructing the perfect soundscape that immediately grabs your attention while the additional elements borrowed from shoegaze, indie pop, cinematic ambient, and many other similar styles act as more than necessary enhancements that elevate their music to an entirely new level. Their music continuously levitates between the eighties and nineties dream pop nostalgia and catchy, memorable, engaging, modern sound. Therefore, “Dear Infrastructure” is not only suitable for longstanding dream pop fans but anyone who appreciates marvelous, tastefully assembled music.
This magnificent album commences with calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal ambiance of “To Have And To Hold And To Break,” a song that sets the tone for the remainder of this release. Marble Raft stacked this introductory piece with so many luxuriant sonic layers, interplays between lush synths, catchy chord progressions, powerful basslines, and energetic drums. These soundscapes act as a perfect backdrop for their fascinating vocal dualities. The vocal harmonies and arrangements sound divine, truly showcasing their passionate performance and dedication to the craft. This epic sonic voyage continues with “Here In Your Backyard,” a song that dives even deeper into those majestic, ethereal, otherwordly instrumentations. You’ll notice how all those acoustic guitars collide harmoniously with synth ambiances, melodies, and themes while the vocal maneuvers act as storytellers, guiding listeners from scratch to finish. Wait until you hear the chorus, a magnificent wall of harmonious sounds that transports you to a completely different realm. With each new track, it becomes apparent that Marble Raft poured heart and soul into their latest album. “Rites Of Passage” is one of those catchy, memorable, engaging compositions where calm vocal harmonies command attention while synth swirls, leads, themes, melodies, and harmonies serve as a backdrop, immensely supporting all those voices with such precision and finesse. In the meantime, the subtle yet vividly hearable basslines provide heaviness, clarity, and depth while binding those mentioned orchestrations with well-accentuated, cleverly arranged, and flawlessly performed rhythmic patterns. Marble Raft left no stone unturned while working on this material, and songs like “Wake Up Halls,” “Marble Halls,” and “Intersections, Alleys And Freeways” further prove how much time and effort they invested into it. Still, it’s good to mention that Marble Raft also thought about the versatility and diversity of these songs, so “Wake Up Halls” dominantly levitates towards classic, traditional eighties shoegaze sound, “Marble Halls” delivers some dreamy synthwave, while “Intersections, Alleys And Freeways” bring some of the finest dream pop sonic maneuvers you’ll ever hear, with a generous serving of cinematic ambiance that elevates this composition to new heights.
“Floral Haze” is another standout composition where all those rich, intricate, expansive synth works resonate with even more power. You’ll notice how all those dreamy, reverby, echoic themes, melodies, harmonies, and other sonic maneuvers merge with chord progressions while vividly, profoundly detailed, equally hearable basslines contribute more power to the track. In the meantime, the excellent rhythmic sequences hold everything together while dictating groove and pace. The song gradually evolved into more complex moments where all those perfectly sung vocal harmonies shine in the limelight. It’s such a perfect composition that demonstrates all the creativity, talent, skills, knowledge, and experience of these exceptional musicians. “Concrete Cathedral” brings an almost gothy, psychedelic dream pop experience. It’s another marvelous song where they delve deeper into those intricate orchestrations, but with that psych and goth twist that makes this fine piece of artistry so fascinating, memorable, and irresistible. “Neon Signs Of Life” gradually signifies the closure of this epic sonic experience by delivering straightforward eighties-inspired synthy dream pop, spiced up with some of the finest elements borrowed from new romantics and new wave music. It’s a beautiful, meaningful, powerful song that will appeal to anyone even remotely into these music genres. Marble Raft closes this incredible full-length release with “Feral Haze,” another epic composition that carries all those mentioned qualities that define their luxuriant sound, but with more half-time rhythmic structures. The song gradually evolves into a colossal slab of majestic orchestrations, capable of convincing even the pickiest music enthusiasts to spin this dream pop gem all over again.
Marble Raft has created a masterpiece, an album that brings not only fundamental elements of dream pop but also a full specter of other styles, presenting the album that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. From outstanding vocal harmonies, lush synth and guitar works to intricate basslines and flawless rhythmic patterns, this exceptional band showcases all their brilliant ideas, musicianship, songwriting, and composing abilities with precision and finesse. It’s a top contender for a dream pop album of the year, so head to your favorite streaming platforms and spin this gem. Don’t miss it!
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