"Postmodern neo-gothic dance music"? "Prom-goth synthpop"? The hyperbolic descriptions of Low Sea's sound do the Waterford-based, Bosnian/Liverpud- lian duo no favours, but their second album is really rather impressive. Most of these songs recall either warped pop of the 1980s or shoegazed-swathed rave tunes from the '90s, but the girl/boy group's dark disco spin shrouds such tracks as Last Rain and Remote Viewing in a mist that sits somewhere between Ladytron and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Occasionally their studied "Berlin club" shtick becomes a little too cold and clinical for its own good (Cast a Cold Eye), but vocalist Billie adeptly treads the line between big, propulsive pop choruses (Starlight) and seductive European breathiness (Alex). If they shrug off the weight of their influences, Low Sea's next album could be quite special.
Facebook.com/lowseamusic
Download: Remote Viewing, Starlight
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Lauren Murphy
Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times
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