Sweet Trip - A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals

CAROLING IN THE CLOUDS FOR ETERNITY

Over a decade has passed since 2009's You Will Never Know Why, though to me Sweet Trip's absence only spanned a year, having first rifled through their short discography at the top of 2020. With such an extended absence from a critically-acclaimed band, ambition was sure to be a deciding factor on A Tiny House. The near 70-minute duration seems to confirm that. Unfortunately the content, with a rudimentary outlook on Dream Pop, does not warrant such an extended stay. It's beautiful by design, heavy-handed and - given Sweet Trip's once-eclectic assemblage of Glitch Pop and IDM - surprisingly one-dimensional. More often than not, the production relies on hypnotic, psychedelic tropes, offset by the occasional injection of Sweet Trip's patented Glitch. Though, to be fair, amalgamation happens less frequently than jarring attachments come track's end ('In Sound, We Found Each Other, ' 'You'). Fanfare or a reminding tether, either scenario makes for disappointing what-ifs. However, it's really Roby Burgos and Valerie Cooper's vocals that wear with each recurring listen, gliding soporifically atop clouds without a hint, or interest, in vacillating away from their paradisal comatose. It veers on grating. Stretched thin over placemat acoustics, their harmonizing reek of complacent conventionality, ridding songs of identity with only a few noticeable exclusions.

It's a shame, as unforgettable moments littered You Will Never Know Why, enough to place their sophomore LP in the "must listen" category of Dream Pop's revered annals. Here, songs pass with blasé amusement, never overcome by errant decision-making, but rarely exceptional and singular. Tracks like 'Surviving A Smile,' 'Chapters,' and 'Eave Foolery Mill Five' are all adequate in their assessment of Dream Pop etiquette. The former features the duo's best vocal performance, though that's largely due to its early placement. 'Chapters' effectively pulls off Sweet Trip's imbued Glitch Pop, a titillating kaleidoscope of ear porn. And the latter hints at better grandiose Shoegaze to come, with smashing walls of purple sound hitting like endless waves of warm desire. They all get the job done, despite never presenting something new.

Though, perhaps, A Tiny House's greatest criticism actually lies in its two best songs; 'Snow Purple Treasures' and 'At Last A Truth That Is Real.' How is that possible you ask? Well, pardon the hot take, but they're merely reforged Beach House epics. On the former, Cooper does her best Victoria LeGrand impersonation, to the point where, if it weren't for an underbelly of tickling Glitch, one could easily confuse it with '10:37,' 'Elegy To The Void,' or 'Dive.' Down to the euphoric dirge that snowballs in instrumental bliss come track's end. The same could be said for 'At Last A Truth That Is Real,' a closer that ticks every box for epic send-offs. Beach House practically mastered the art form with 'Irene,' 'Days Of Candy,' 'Last Ride,' and more, so much so that they've been mocked for such insistence. But there's a reason why they do it. It works. And the same could be said for A Tiny House's magnificent send-off, one that engulfs the listener in a stampede of opulent sound. No voices to be heard, drowned by impassioned intensity. Though Sweet Trip leave satiated and rapturous, it's hard to maintain that level of enthusiasm throughout. Pleasant, lush, but all too uniform, A Tiny House fails to reach its insurmountable expectations. But as far as decade-long returns go, you can fair much, much worse.