I Like Trains – The Shallows.
A cursory glance at the opening tracks of I Like Trains third long player ‘The Shallows’ drapes their sound in the deadpan post rock melancholy of the likes of Joy Division, particularly on ‘Beacons’ though lead single ‘Mnemosyne’ has an indie perkiness in its twanging guitar lines and the songs overall pace. ‘The Shallows’ is an album that sets out to explore our relationships with technology, carried throughout by a dark droning pulse. The albums subtle synth and effects back bone frames it’s 80′s influenced sound in the the emotive experimentation of shoegaze painting a poppy but bleak picture of a future overloaded with information.
The dour and drab tones of the Leeds based act belie a rich sound that at times is significantly more driving than you would expect. While undeniably dark, this release is anything but depressing. An intriguing blend of hard, bassier notes and atmospheric subtlety, ‘The Shallows’ is an exceptionally executed album that carries forward a frankly forgotten niche of post-punk into a modern age that could hardly be a more fitting backdrop.
I Like Trains – The Shallows is available now via I Like Records.
