Cardiff-trio Pipedream have produced a timeless gem with ‘Secret Beach’. Ten songs of hazy, heady, jangly emo-tinged indie, the debut from one of the most exciting young UK bands at the minute sets them apart from their contemporaries.
Whilst bands like Milk Teeth and Moose Blood are inspiring others around the country to go down a heavier route, Pipedream are forging their own path. Despite often sticking out on line-ups consisting of mainly punk bands around the country, Pipedream hold their own and ‘Secret Beach’ is clear evidence as to why this band is held so dear by so many in our scene. Opener ‘Brain Cell’ starts the record so gently, as if a sunrise is creeping through your blinds on a Sunday morning after a long night. Tom Sanders’ reverb and delay soaked guitar slides its arm around your shoulders and with the arrival of Harry Jowett on drums and Josh Brunt-Torjussen on bass, a cold beer finds its way into your clammy hands.
Sanders’ vocals are delightful throughout, his distinctive voice guiding the songs when needed, but what is so great about this record is the sense of space that Pipedream create. Brunt-Torjussen’s bass is allowed room to breathe whilst Sanders’ intricate picked riffs float through the record. Major shout out to Harry Jowett’s understated, yet at times amazingly complex, drums that add so much to this record. Fans of Pipedream will recognise ‘April Showers’ and ‘Pipedream’ (always a fan of bands who name songs after their own band) from a 2014 release, but they’re re-recorded here and are much better for it.
‘Run’ shows that Pipedream are just as good when they play fast as when they take it down a notch, with Sanders and Brunt-Torjussen duelling with each other as Jowett keeps it steady behind them. Title-track ‘Secret Beach’ sees Sanders stretching his vocals to breaking point whilst Pipedream play wild and loud behind him. This is swiftly followed by the interlude ‘In The Ridge Of Ash Trees’, a one-minute dream sequence complete with bloody bongos. Somehow Pipedream pull this off and it’s one of the coolest moments on the record.
‘Imbalance’ sees Jowett throwing 16s on his hi-hats and Sanders getting caught by the music, ad-libbing ‘woos’ and ‘yeahs’ throughout. This also occurs during ‘Through The Blinds’ and these moments are heart-warming. It’s so good to hear a band enjoy playing music as much as Pipedream clearly do. Closer ‘The Black Lodge’ has Sanders lamenting “I’ll never see you again” and we all have to hope this doesn’t come true any time soon.
Once again, Bob Cooper’s production is perfect. The way he captures each band’s individual energy and personality is incredible and it’s the reason why so many of the UK’s most talented are choosing to work with him. You can listen to this album from start to finish, getting you through these last few months of winter with the promise of summer. It’s a record that you will play consistently through the rest of the year. Having teamed up with Brighton-based Dog Knights Productions, Pipedream are set to have a big year, so get out of bed, pull up those blinds and get involved.
CONOR MACKIE