It's refreshing when a band actually spends time cultivating a sound and takes baby steps into formal releases. The massive amount of mediocrity that exists today due to the relative ease with which one can now record music has plagued us with countless releases that, well, just seen both unnecessary and beyond generic.
That's one of many things that new Seattle residents Nude Pop (formerly known as 'Nude') have going for them. In the almost two years since their inception, demos and singles have surfaced as have countless festival appearances while the band have refined their songwriting chops. With their first proper release, Splintered Selves establishes the young quartet as a rising force in the area of swirling dream pop and indie rock. The flourishing outfit is definitely plugging away at their own sound with experimental ideas and hypnotic guitar riffs, and this quick EP is an ideal introduction.
With just five songs here, Nude Pop fill each second with maximum goodness. First track “A Dream” combines heavenly guitars with memorable singing into an alt-rock mixed with pop fun highlight. “Underwater” follows, where the vocals are buried under the warm, almost punk-ish instrumentation. “No Show” is where their noisy moments come into the equation, and “Wake” illustrates both sides of the band's penchant for lively guitar licks as well as more sparse, flowing moments of quiet beauty.
There's an undeniable '90s flair here, from the twinkling dynamics to the math-rock meticulousness and even the guitars just sound so Polyvinyl records circa 1995. Seeing as this period of indie rock will probably always be considered its heyday, I see absolutely nothing wrong this. These guys have a great LP in their arsenal just waiting to come out. In the meantime, I highly suggest you indulge in this fine EP.