The Last Mixed Tape

Dublin trio Dear Desert make a sonically affecting debut with their stunning new E.P. Gift Above.

From the weighty piano that gives way to the glisten synth textures in ‘Give It Up’, to the song’s ethereal vocal performance there can be little doubt that Dear Desert have a sound that is very special indeed.

In fact as Gift Above moves on to the great washes of synth on ‘Pharaoh Vessel’ to the turbulent rhythm of ‘Supernatural Love’ (the E.P’s centre piece), the record breaks many expectations held to debut records.

However what is most impressive about Gift Above is how Dear Desert push and pull certain unique characteristics, such as the deep bodied and falsetto vocal interplay of ‘Supernatural Love’, within their sound into the record’s foreground. Brooding and dark one moment then emotionally raw the next the E.P. covers a large spectrum during its short running time making the music (and the E.P. itself) a definite depth of field.

This is a subtle but essential element of Dear Desert’s music that widens to the overall effect of the band’s indietronica tinged with synth-pop sound and brings it into expanded stylistic territory.

Gift Above is an E.P. is widescreen texture and sonic design. Working as a full-piece in and of itself, the record washes and merges each track to the next to give the music a broader, expanded sound that shimmer with melody and twists with persistent rhythm.

Rating: 9/10

Gift Above by Dear Desert is out now.