Amida – If The Wave Loves Two Suns [EP]
 

Anything released on a DIY indie pop record label dedicated to delivering “wee tactile packets of lo-fi POP!” is not necessarily going to impress with its production values or by sounding like Muse. But first song on "If The Wave Loves Two Suns" EP, 'These Are Golden Times' does surprise with its lurching opening which sounds as though the tape machine started rolling mid-song. What follows is not so messy however, a warm, shambling jangle of pure early 80s, good-old-fashioned-proper-indie.

In effect this is a four track EP. One track 'Beauty Fades' is a throwaway 45 seconds of Mark E Smith-goes-Balkan noise which might work on an album but when your five track EP clocks in at a malnourished 9 minutes you want a bit more bang for your buck. But short as some of them are, the other songs can be pleasingly satisfying.

'These Are Golden Times' does have the warm, optimistic glow as suggested by the title with half-spoken, half-sung vocals sounding a little like Dave Gedge adopting a transatlantic timbre. 'Weather' is a slow, reflective shuffle, occasional vocals hymning sunshine days but in the main it is an instrumental with a gently rippling guitar line throughout. 'You’ve Changed Baby Girl' ups the tempo with a country twang over a rockabilly rhythm and a splash of Louisiana accordion. In some ways it feels the most complete as well as animated song. Final track 'Miho' returns to the summery, strum-along style complete with banjo - but at one and a half minutes long, it is over before its gets anywhere near hitting its mark.

Amida have plenty of charm on display on this EP and twee-pop boys and girls will find tunes fit to twirl hair-slides and tug cardigans along to but the overall impact is lessened by a feeling of meagreness and their happy-amateurishness can easily be dismissed as lightweight.

So a tasty morsel but let’s have something more substantial to get our teeth into next time please.