Sweet Trip were largely underappreciated for the first decade-plus of their existence, when they released a handful of albums and EPs that moved from dreamy ambient techno to future-shock IDM to progressive indie pop. Several years after the release of their third album, their music began to find new audiences through various online communities and forums; the band were simply ahead of their time, and the world had started to catch up with them. Velocity : Design : Comfort and You Will Never Know Why, now regarded as cult favorites, were remastered and reissued, and anticipation for their fourth album reached fever pitch. Heralding the group's return, A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals is another complex epic overflowing with ideas, colliding technology into pure feeling. Opener "Tiny Houses" immediately encapsulates many of the band's sonic trademarks, beginning with a frenetic burst of noise before glitchy effects and fuzzy shoegaze guitars adorn Valerie Cooper and Roby Burgos' tender harmonies. During the quieter moments, Burgos sweetly admits "Sleepyhead I dare say, you take my breath away," in between heavy stereophonic swirls and a dissolving fade-out. "Surviving a Smile" has a more straightforward chillwave rhythm and encouraging lyrics recalling the bittersweet optimism of You Will Never Know Why. Other tracks on the record further explore the band's more blissed-out ballad side, like "Eave Foolery Mill Five" and the appropriately wintry "Snow Purple Treasures," although out of nowhere, "Polar Equals" unexpectedly dive-bombs into hard rock and acid electro. Several other tracks feature these types of detours and interludes, like the scrambled radio interference chaos at the end of the otherwise serene "You," while the instrumental "Randfilt" is one of the album's more effects-happy selections, setting stuttery glitch-funk beats to spacious guitars. "In Sound, We Found Each Other," previewed on the 30th Little Darla Has a Treat for You compilation, is a sonic love song that potentially nods to the band's fan base with the refrain "And we're cool, just because of you." "Walkers Beware! We Drive into the Sun," released as a single shortly before the album, is one of the group's breeziest confections, gradually building up to shimmering guitars and smooth harmonies, as a steady beat glides through it all. Even though the album contains a lot of fun, chaotic moments, Sweet Trip sound more comfortable taking it slow this time around, and while the hooks aren't as obvious as they were on the band's previous two releases, it's still an immersive experience that rewards repeated listens.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo