With a decidedly retro-leaning glisten and shimmer, the new tune from Dublin quartet Montauk Hotel gradually comes into focus.
Borrowing from such 80s and 90s luminaries as The Cranberries, The Sundays, Lush, Mazzy Star, and The Jesus & Mary Chain, the resulting fusion is incredibly catchy and exceptionally easy to love.
Starting off sounding like a lo-fi dreampop tune – with a beguiling blend of pounding drums courtesy of Karima Dillon-El Toukhy, Shell Dooley’s sparkling guitar lines, throbbing bass provided by Aoife Hester and Claudia Verdecchia’s ethereal, mystical vocals – Never Quiet builds and blossoms over time, with what it will become always gently bubbling beneath its surface, like a beautiful butterfly preparing to emerge from its chrysalis.
When it eventually segues into its next form – a widescreen wall of noise where the guitars become unshackled and go from cute to beastly – it soars and swirls and engulfs the listener in a shoegazey swamp of sound.
The band has been at it since 2016, and it shows. There’s a level of expertise, comfort, and conviction here that comes from time spent honing one’s craft. And hone they clearly have. This is a masterful piece of work.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
