Letting Up Despite Great Faults
Paper Crush
(2011)
why you'll love it: Amazing balance of fuzzy guitar/vocals, and beautiful synths
why you'll hate it: yet another shoegaze-dream pop band
This is a short EP, so I'll try to keep this review short. I can't do anything about this band's unbearably long name though. I don't care if that is a Blonde Redhead reference, that name is terrible. This is a pretty good EP though. Letting Up seems happy to fill the gap The Radio Dept left when they evolved from their Pet Grief era into more robust sounds.
This is heavy fuzz shoegaze with a whole lot of pretty computer beats woven in. I'd be down on this band for sounding so hopelessly romantic, but The Pains of Being Pure At Heart showed me a brand new level of irritating pop romanticism earlier this year. By comparison, this is a humble release. Also, it evades the trap Pains fell into of sounding too much like 80's retro pandering. Letting Up goes their own way, with a more distorted and edgier production, and a subtle background of 21st century bells & whistles.
This is no groundbreaking release, but Letting Up is doing well at what they're up to right now. There are some great beats in this EP. "Sophia in Gold" sticks with me, as do the driving guitar and drums in "Teenage Tide". It closes with a strong instrumental as well. This is good stuff. This release grew on me a lot quicker then their debut full length. Maybe it's because it's too short to wear it out its welcome, but I've been coming back to it frequently over the last few months.
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