Release Date: October 16, 2012
Synth-heavy tunes has essentially become a staple for bands within the indie pop genre, notably those under the genre label “dream pop.” San Francisco’s Tamaryn, consisting of New Zealand-native vocalist Tamaryn and multi-instrumentalist/producer Rex John Shelverton, demonstrated its musical talent to evade this stereotype on its debut album The Waves by blending hazy vocals with shoegaze guitar melodies. Following with their second full-length release Tender New Signs, Tamaryn continues its unconventionally-crafted dream pop sound, bringing its listeners’ heads up into the clouds to sit while the world spins ’round.
Much praise for Tamaryn’s musical growth on Tender New Signs is due to Shelverton’s instrumental talents implemented in the songs’ writing. Noticeably on the tracks “I’m Gone” and “Prizma,” the multi-instrumentalist lays a wide range of sharp and striking guitar riffs alongside bouncing basslines beneath Tamaryn’s heavy but airy vocals. These melodies carry the songs, adding variety and flair that catch the listener’s attention when entranced by Tamaryn’s ethereal vocals.
Fortunately on Tender New Signs, Tamaryn’s still retains its garage-reminiscent authenticity while incorporating even darker dream pop and shoegaze sounds, especially on tracks like “The Garden.” Tamaryn explained to Pitchfork regarding their first album:
“We recorded everything ourselves in our practice space, but it is not lo-fi. I always want to make it more epic and beautiful, but I don’t want it to be totally laptop-y sounding either, so it’s hanging in the balance. It’s really cool what you can do with a guitar and a Fender Twin and a space echo. We don’t use any digital pedals or electronics. We don’t use any pedals at all, really.”
This musical rawness can be rare to find in the dream pop and shoegaze genres. Many dream pop artists rely on technology for pre-recorded sounds and editing as a crutch to cover up any blemishes in their songs and create the signature airy vocals, while shoegazers often incorporate so many effect pedals to their guitars’ sounds that their works wind up becoming auditory car wrecks. Tamaryn, fortunately, finds its sound in an organic form on Tender New Signs, sharing with the listener its authentic artistry of basic sounds. The intro to “The Garden” exemplifies this perfectly. After flooding the listeners’ ears with raw guitar chops that send chills down the spine, the bittersweet vocals provide a remedy to calm the listener into a melodic trance. Although compiled together in such a simple manner, Tamaryn creates a work of art many artists strive and fail to achieve on their own.
Tender New Signs has brought about some musical development in Tamaryn’s sound, displaying in full the duo’s abilities to create a continuation of the dream pop-shoegaze hybrid sounds heard on The Waves. However, many will not dismiss the fact that the album carries some flaws. Differentiating between the band’s debut and sophomore records can be a difficult task, as the two albums sound almost identical in their vocal styles and mood. Additionally, while Tamaryn’s voice carries the crooning dream pop-style vocals well, they often sound muffled, like she is singing through a plastic bag, making it difficult to discern the songs’ lyrics. Nonetheless, Tamaryn knows its musical direction and will keep listeners locked under Tender New Signs’s hazy entrancement.
Tamaryn – Tender New Signs tracklist:
- “I’m Gone”
- “While You’re Sleeping, I’m Dreaming”
- “Heavenly Bodies”
- “No Exits”
- “Prizma”
- “The Garden”
- “Transcendent Blue”
- “Afterlight”
- “Violet’s In A Pool”
