Released: April 21st 2023
4/5
It’s fifteen years since the Montréal three-piece Braids began their journey into dance music experimentation. Debut EP ‘Set Pieces’ saw their brand of dream pop take the echoed density of the late 80’s shoegazing sound and transfer it to breathy electronic lounge core and spawned a host of imitators.
All the flirtations they’ve had with EDM in the interim are set aside and on their fifth album ‘Euphoric Recall’ they’re looking back to that freer, more blissful sound, conjuring up a host of melodic, symphonic pop songs especially the strident ode to love ‘Millennia’. They simultaneously capture nostalgia but root the group in the now. There’s a high level of quality control, as always, but the lack of writing standard ‘hits’ means they’ll most likely remain underappreciated by the masses.
