PYYRAMIDS – Brightest Darkest Day

PYYRAMIDS (the capitalisation and extra Y are non-negotiable, alas) are Tim Nordwind and Drea Smith – the former moonlighting from professional choreographers / occasional band OK Go, the latter formerly of He Say She Say. So not quite a supergroup, then, but a partnership with experience under its hood, and enough spark to potentially produce something exceptional.

Brightest Darkest Day isn’t that something, but it has moments that come close, including Do You Think You’re Enough’s propulsive electro-rock fuzz and Paper Doll’s slow-burn indie rock – the latter strangely (and almost certainly coincidentally) reminiscent of reformed alt-poppers Drugstore. Unfortunately, these peaks only tell half the story, with songs like the noir slink of Smoke and Mirrors constituting little more than superficial zeitgeist influences which sound inviting on initial introduction but carry negligible impact. Regardless, on its debut outing, PYYRAMIDS identifies itself as a promising musical alliance; next time round, the duo may just prove it. [Chris Buckle]