Pomona XV are a Manchester based four piece, who seem to have a collaborative or collective spirit based around two core members, Miles Burke and Darcy Cox. They create a hazy dream pop that evokes that feeling of beginning to fall asleep with the TV on. Thoughts become clouded, external sounds become blurred and seep into the consciousness. It’s a weird state to be in, unlike anything else. Fools Summer EP, released through Burke’s own Flatland Recordings label, follows the single We Can Live Comfortably which was released last year and is also present here.
The Floor Is Lava (Feat Katie Pham & The Moonbathers) opens the EP with electric drums, soft glockenspiel and slightly unexpected loungey “ooh la la la la” backing vocals. The deep almost whispered lead vocal melody and lyrical content have something akin to Peter Bjorn and John’s ‘Young Folks’.
This is followed by the gorgeous Flaming Lips-esque wavering synth sounds and Kevin Shields vocal melody of G L U E. The beautiful melodic bass playing by Bill Humpage is complemented by sparse simple washed out guitar strums.
Lyrically there is a heavy reliance on rhyming couplets on the EP, perhaps most clearly evident on We Can Live Comfortably, that contrast the lovingly crafted soundscapes.
“You can fly with me, touch the sky with me, come get high with me”.
However, the melodies are strong enough for this to pass and We Can Live Comfortably exhibits an almost Julian Casablancas-like vocal melody, in its nonchalant demeanor. The crooked, cartoonish yet subtle synth sounds, synth bass and soft synth strings create a hazy and strange sound, that pans and bubbles pleasingly.
The warped, soft buzzing synth and chiming guitars of In Dreams close the EP with a thick soupy phaser that interacts well with the skittery drums. There are really nice backing vocal touches here too.
It’s a promising start then for Pomona XV. There’s a lot to like here. Clearly they put a great deal of care into the sounds they create. Their progress will be intriguing.
Fools Summer EP is out now via Flatland Recordings.
You may enjoy this if you like:
Peter Bjorn And John, The Postal Service, Sparklehorse, Slowdive, Mid-Air Thief
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