Sennen – First Light

Named after a track on Ride’s Today Forever EP, Sennen’s past is not necessarily an indicator of the present. Yes, the band’s fifth LP surfs upon shoegaze tendrils, but it’s a reflective, pastoral interpretation, less doused in pedals or feedback as flat and expansive – more akin to the band’s native East Anglia than the Cornish cove Gardener and Bell originally used for inspiration.

That First Light – mastered by Sonic Boom – doesn’t go chasing headlines encourages a skein of contemplation to filter through (even if – as toward the endgame of the epic seven-minute title track – the jams are occasionally kicked out). Single Autopilot reinterprets Douglas Coupland’s Girlfriend in a Coma, The Pilot drifts into early Spiritualized territory, and above each track’s subtle riff-work, Laurence Holmes’ wispy vocals settle like fresh snow. Not an innovative record by any stretch, but one with a knack of hitting home, all the same – listen late at night.