Humdrum

Slumberland remains one of the best divining rods for indie pop, never missing as they uncover the best of the new class. This has already been a banner year for the label, with records from The Umbrellas, The Reds, Pinks and Purples, Chime School, and Lightheaded. That’s a sterling run right there, but adding in Humdrum seals them as untouchable in ’24. Following the dissolution of his previous band Star Tropics, Chicago’s Loren Vanderbilt began to dig through a record collection that was studded with jangle-pop, dreampop, new wave, and indie pop. As the idea of Humdrum began to emerge, Vanderbilt found the formula for a sound that was reverent but not reductive, playful, but not pastiche. Every Heaven bursts onto the speakers like a classic waiting to be crowned. Propelled by a persistent beat that’s constantly trying to catch its breath, the songs tumble and jangle, strum and swoon.

Smudged by synths and hung on hooks that cut deep, the record stitches together the swirling memories of mail-order singles clubs, college radio staples, and five band bills packed into basement stages. Vanderbilt clips the New Wave backdrop from 4AD’s sunnier set and drenches it in the pastel patterns of IRS, Creation, and Cherry Red. Songs get lost in a cocoon of reverb, never quite bleeding into shoegaze, but eyeing it with interest. The stylistic seep is what makes the album work so well. It’s thirty-five minutes spent trying to put your finger on Humdrum’s hue and it slips away every time. Few bands have emerged so fully formed, and it’s great to see Vanderbilt embrace his influences and hold them tight.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.

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