‘Dreams Along The Shore’ is the 2nd album from Archie. Self-produced, with production on two songs contributed by Matthew Gleeson (Welly), the album draws inspiration from the beaches of Cornwall. The latter half of the track listing derives its name from the Newquay coastline. Conjuring up nostalgia-laden memories, these beaches are where Archie spent many summers having picnics with his grandparents, surfing with friends and walking late at night. Despite growing and drifting from those close to him, the beach remained a constant. The album aims to express those memories, a longing to return, while also showing appreciation for what’s changed.
In addition to creating music, Archie runs the not-for-profit Brighton-based record label Crafting Room Recordings. The label features artists such as: ELLiS D, Ideal Living, Soft Top, Maximilian, Wine Pride, Hualun and many more. It prides itself on paying artists fairly whilst supporting local charities.
After a beautiful intro, where soundscapes and textures take us to the countryside, and specifically the beaches of Cornwall (I’ve been in the UK for 10 years, still haven’t made a trip to Cornwall, but after recently going to the Seven Sisters cliffs, this nostalgic combo of sounds has convinced me to finally visit Cornwall!), we dive straight into the album.
The first impression I got, due to the tempo, guitar riffs, and the low vocal, was something reminiscent of The Cure and maybe even Joy Division, but only in terms of vibe; there is nothing even remotely goth here. And that is great for me because I’ve never been a fan of that style!
Then the tempos (‘tempi’ to be linguistically correct!) slow down. Now I get The Smiths vibes, as well as some of the more folky, acoustic style of The Cranberries. Nothing to do with the vocalists of the bands mentioned above, though. Archie’s vocals are calm and understated, quite monotonous (not a bad thing!), and intertwined with the reverb and delays to the point where they become an integral part of the music. Personally, I like that. I know many people who prefer vocals that are extremely upfront and distinct, allowing for a significant emphasis on the lyrics. Still, I don’t think that always works. There are numerous styles of music, so the vocals should constantly adapt to the general style and aesthetic of the band/artist.
In this dreamscape that is the music of Archie Sagers, the vocal is as much an instrument as the cloudy guitars and soft rhythm section, so it is all supposed to work together as a whole. If anything, I would say that the sonic protagonist here is the guitars much more than the vocals. This takes you on a journey, allowing you to truly immerse yourself in this atmospheric and lush, yet subtle, sound.
I’m not entirely sure where the guitar reverb soundscapes end and the textural synths begin (if any synths were used for that purpose, but there were definitely some bells, so I’m not entirely off the mark!)
‘Tolcarne’ is probably my favourite track, mainly because they went all the way into that dreamy sound and kind of left “indie rock” behind. Still, I also loved the additional female vocals in the background; it would be great if there were more of that, as it creates a nice antithesis —a yin and yang balance to the vocal. They come back in ‘Fistral’, which is also one of my favourite tracks. Here, they lean all the way into a Cure-esque sound, but with all the FX returns turned up to the max!
‘Crantock’ concludes the album as beautifully as ‘Across the city’ introduced it.
I listened to the album on my studio monitors so that the sound could fill the room and bounce off all the walls. However, I guess it would be equally satisfying and almost meditative on headphones.
Written by Spiros Maus
