Breathy, sultry, dreamy, sexy, hazy – there are a number of adjectives that could be used to describe the new tune by Cambridge-based five-piece Blue Cinema.
The wonderfully titled “Infinite Monkeys With Infinite Instruments” comes across like a blend of Cocteau Twins, The Cranberries, and Lush, and is as majestic and enchanting as you’d imagine based on those comparisons. Malka Kovalenko’s bewitching vocals float over the top of George Pheby’s artful guitar, and Annie Zykova’s sparkling keys (and synths), and the whole thing is held together excellently by the reliable rhythm section of James Massey and Jack Jaggard, on drums and bass respectively.
As a slinkier, silkier, more seductive version of legacy acts like Slowdive, Blue Cinema have clearly, in a relatively short space of time (for they have only been releasing music since 2023), expertly honed their craft and carved out an extremely distinctive sonic niche. The song starts gently enough, but by the time that nearly five minutes have elapsed and it has swollen and climaxed, it feels like it has dragged us down into a whirlpool of sound and that we’ve ended up a world away from where we began.
I’m told that, lyrically, the song is about the band itself. It lovingly details their formation, focusing on beautiful little details and managing to squeeze in no fewer than 11 references to different shades of blue along the way. Eiffel 65, eat your heart out.
It’s worth mentioning that this quintet reminds us quite a bit of our own “dreamgaze” crew, the London-based four-piece Mannequin Flowers – another female-fronted celestial tour de force who show no signs of slowing down. Imagine them playing together. Now that would be a live bill worth seeing. Food for thought there, perhaps…
The future looks bright. And more than a little bit hazy. Or should that be gazey? Either way, keep your eyes on this lot.
Written by Black Rainbow Collective
