A sun-kissed swoon of an album all the way from the calm beaches of South Carolina, ‘Let You Go’ is the debut from dream pop duo Tape Waves. At 32 minutes long, it features ten chilled out, melodic moments which charm the listener while bathing them in sunshine.
Tape Waves are a duo consisting of husband and wife Jarod Weldin and Kim Weldin, who have been releasing music since 2013. Following on from the debut ‘Tape Waves’ EP, they issued a lovely 7″ single in May 2014, which features ‘Stay All Night’ and the sensational ‘Looking At The Sun’, which is (in my opinion) their finest track, yet not included here. Whether you’re looking for a bright, calming soundtrack for the beach or something to relax with on a summer’s night, it’s well worth immersing yourself within the mixture of gentle drums, hazy harmonies and beautiful guitars that can be heard across this debut LP.
An atmospheric ray of light and a cooling breeze open the record in the form of the easy going ‘Slow Days’, a sparkling stand out that sets the tone nicely. Shimmering guitars illuminate the delicate ‘All I Can See’, a bright love song that’s short, straight forward, and very sweet indeed. Following the melancholic title track and the intricate notes of ‘Ready Now’, the gorgeous, harmonious instrumental ‘Beach Front’ provides a thoroughly blissful moment and one of the best tracks here. After the Cure-esque melodies of ‘Another Day’, an effective sense of simplicity shines through on ‘Whetever I Go’ along with its handclaps and angelic vocals. Another highlight arrives with the pretty chiming notes and distant echoes of hazy, reverbed voice that flow through the wonderful ‘Looking Around’, before the intertwining guitars and heartfelt delivery of the beautiful ‘Stay All Night’ make for another lovely standout. Summing up the record’s slightly overfocused sound, ‘I Can Tell’ bears more than a passing resemblance to the other songs, and has a chorus that is almost identical to the earlier ‘All I Can See’, although the track does end the album nicely with an endearing, subtly layered outro.
Very little in the way of contrast may prevent much of ‘Let You Go’ to sound that memorable on the first play, but give it a few plays, let it sink in gently, and see how you feel afterwards. It could do with a little bit more diversity as a whole, but you can’t say that it isn’t tidy and cohesive. The lack of variety is a relatively minor flaw when the best tracks are as enchanting as these. Each song is like an extension to the overall mood of the album, sitting together nicely. It’s a picturesque record full of sun drenched vibes, and definitely one for these hotter months. [Rating:3.5]
‘Let You Go’ is available to buy on limited edition Mint/Orange swirl-coloured vinyl from HERE.
