Brooklyn quintet Ex-Cops are the latest buzz band to crop-up from New York’s rich musical landscape. On True Hallucinations the band delivers an accomplished, pleasantly dreamy debut full of pop hooks, an indie-rock glaze and lush melodies. The resulting mix captures the essence of a lightly breezy summer afternoon, bottles it, and pours a colourfully digestible liquid bubbling with feel-good vibes and floating-on-a-cloud melodies. The songs are short and sweet, many of which clock-in less than three minutes, and are sequenced into a concise time-frame (a fraction over 30-minutes). Coupled with a sleek, pristine production job, Ex-Cops dish up a short, laid-back and enjoyable listening experience that lacks the depth and consistent song-writing to take the album to a higher plane.
That said, there are several highlights that rise above the pack, showcasing the band’s talents at crafting intelligent, layered pop gems. The airy hooks and sticky melodies of early album standout ‘Ken’ is further defined by its rousing chorus, understated guitar work and a punchy drumbeat. ‘James’ is another feel-good gem with a chilled-out pop vibe encased within a jangly backdrop. Other standouts include the soft, creeping melodies of ‘The Millionaire’ and the lush instrumentation and wonderfully dreamy vocals of ‘Separator’. These quality tunes represent what Ex-Cops are capable of when they hit their stride.
Elsewhere there aren’t really any duds to speak of, just harmlessly inoffensive pop tunes devoid of any truly remarkable qualities. Herein lies the problem that rears its head during portions of the album; the sugary hooks and dreamy melodies scratch an immediate itch but rarely dig deeper into the sub-conscious. Several of the aforementioned songs break into more compelling territory and the band would be wiser to explore the restrained charms and song-writing depth of ‘The Millionaire’ in particular.
Perhaps if they take some edgier risks and tighten up their song-writing, Ex-Cops might just conjure up something truly compelling down the track. As it stands, True Hallucinations is a crafty debut, brimming with undoubtable potential yet to be realised.
Other Music / Shock
7/10
Reviewer: Luke Saunders