Tallies – Tallies
Calling back to the indie-pop, dream-pop and shoegaze of the 80s and early 90s, it's hard not to be at least momentarily charmed by the nostalgic trip on Tallies' eponymous debut
From the opening, hypnotic swirl of melodic and shimmering guitar riffs and hazy cymbals that kick off Trouble, the opening track from Tallies’ eponymous debut, they pull you firmly into their world. Over the course of 11 tracks they call back to the indie-pop, dream-pop and shoegaze of the 80s and early 90s; it’s really little surprise that lead guitarist Dylan Frankland grew up listening to the likes of The Smiths, Cocteau Twins and Aztec Camera.
The hallmarks of those bands are splashed liberally over Tallies, from jangly guitar riffs that could have been coined by Johnny Marr to occasionally hazy vocal production and, on Trains and Snow, fuzzier, squalling guitar riffs and heavier percussion. On Midnight, they craft a track that could easily have been an offshoot from an album by The Sundays. They veer from grand and sweeping to charmingly sweet easily; vocalist Sarah Cogan lends a gorgeous, soaring hook to Have You that straddles both these halves easily.
Tallies wear these influences firmly on their sleeve, and it can leave the album feeling a little one-dimensional, particularly in its latter half. Although Cogan delivers engaging and empathetic lyrics on growing up, changing relationships and even environmentalism, the album has a rather homogenous pace. Despite this, it’s hard not to at least be momentarily charmed by Tallies' nostalgic trip.
Listen to: Midnight, Have You