Album Review: Owl Eyes - Nightswim

Given her release of three EPs in three years, which included the big electro-pop personality of singles Raiders and Crystalised, Brooke Addamo – aka Owl Eyes – built quite a level of anticipation for her debut long-player. While those looking for more of the same may be disappointed to find Addamo's focus is on unhurried, dreamy synth-pop soundscapes across Nightswim, there are still moments where her knack for vibrant melody asserts itself; Hurricane restores hope with an immediate hook of crisply layered harmonies after the title track presents as a plodder, and Diamonds In Her Eyes opens up wonderfully in the chorus as the songstress pleads: “I will do unthinkable things for you”. Love Run Dry is the other key moment for those with a bonus track copy of Nightswim; last year's single provides the perfect blend between understated synth and beats and the wonderful soaring heights of Addamo's voice while adding strings to highlight the sentiment – relegating it to last-track bonus status is kind of baffling.

The influence of '90s R&B becomes clear on Open Up – back in the day you'd expect a track like this to have a film clip featuring a forlorn beauty writhing up-and-down a wall like her life depended on it, and Addamo does well to modernise the mix of bassy and dreamy synth, but the lyrics are no literary revelation. Closure peps up with straightforward blocks of catchy melody; if there were more peaks, hooks and highs across Nightswim, this would make for an excellent album track though overall the expectation isn't quite matched particularly considering Crystalised was a highlight of 2012.

Nightswim, however, will grow with time, as no doubt Addamo will.