They sound like a forgotten band whose tapes have been unearthed in dusty vaults from the early 1990s, but The Besnard Lakes thrive on confounding notions.
The psychedelic, shoegazing indie quartet indubitably have a tendency to hero-worship on their fifth album: Pressure of Our Plans apes acts like Ride, while Jace Lasek's eerie falsetto on the sludgy build-up of The Bray Road Beast is reminiscent of early Mercury Rev.
Yet several songs provide contrast to the swirling layers, such as the dramatic The Plain Moon and the sharp harmonies of Necronomicon.
Throw some odd, otherworldly lyrics about nature and the paranormal into the fray, and you’ve got an album that will draw you back in time and again – perhaps even despite your best intentions.
