Radhika – Cine-Pop

Opening with a theme for an imaginary David Lynch film, inspired by composer Lalo Schifrin, artistic vision is not lacking on the debut album by Scottish dream-pop artist Radhika, joined on record by her father Sushil K. Dade of the Soup Dragons and keyboardist Eric Macdonald. Cine-Pop is confident and richly orchestrated, taking inspiration from film scores and the sparkling dreamscapes of Cocteau Twins. But Radhika avoids self-aggrandisement, keeping the album concise and anchoring each song with a strong melodic hook.

On Feline Bandits, Radhika’s voice flows effortlessly above a spongey bed of shimmering synths and guitars. Sleep is a woozy minor-key meditation with guitars fizzing over a choppy bassline. Starry Eyes, the cosmic lead single that earned Radhika radio play and acclaim, features both The Pastels’ Mitch Mitchell and Gerard Love of Teenage Fanclub. As well as revering the Scottish indie scene of yesteryear, Radhika pays tribute to her Indian heritage, with touches of tanpura and dulcimer across the album. 

Tasteful covers of Strawberry Switchblade’s Since Yesterday and Yo La Tengo’s Nowhere Near blend harmoniously with the rest of the tracklist, the latter featuring backing vocals from Love and Camera Obscura’s Tracyanne Campbell concludes the album in a sun-kissed haze.

Listen to: Starry Eyes, Feline Bandits, Nowhere Near