Here We Go Magic – Be Small

Here We Go Magic’s line-up may have undergone a significant reshuffle since the release of 2012’s acclaimed A Different Ship, but despite this transmutation, frontman Luke Temple has managed to retain a similar auricular template with Be Small.

Manufactured around their familiar, slightly schizophrenic combination of languorous synths and buoyant indie guitars, the New York group’s latest record treads more heavily than its predecessors into unabashed pop moments. The giddy calypso romp Stella employs zealous Doobie Brothers-style synth, while Falling belies its name with euphoric, ascending vocal harmonies, and the rather lovely title track could be melodically exalting the band’s own downscaled production (this being a self-produced affair).

True to form though, tracks such as the sparse Ordinary Feeling indicate that Here We Go Magic haven’t shed their introspective demeanour. Though not all of Be Small resonates upon first listen, these songs are crafted around the kind of intricacies that promise greater dimensions when played live. [Claire Francis]