Album
TOY
Happy In The Hollow
January 25 2019 (Tough Love Records)
8/10
Words: Ali Mack
London-based TOY use this fourth album to mark their debut on new label Tough Love Records, as well as taking over the helm in the producing and mixing of 'Happy In The Hollow' - for the first time.
The result is an uncompromising, atmospheric return that while still capturing the feel of the TOY of old - motorik rhythms, warped guitars, undulating synths and Tom Dougall's subtle, reedy vocals - now also places a greater emphasis on melody in the psychedelic spin of the record.
Opener, the hazy, cosmic-flavoured 'Sequence One' ("running through a war zone of post-apocalyptic proportions with your significant other"), showcases the experimental textures of Charlie Salvidge's percussion, while rippling arpeggios run alongside post-punk guitar; while the krautrock extravaganza of 'Energy' sees Salvidge exude a thunderous metronomic drum force with a ferocious guitar accompaniment by Dominic O’Dair.
Dougall’s hazy delivery holds court on the majority of the album's tracks, standing out on the shoegaze-esque 'Mistake A Stranger' and the delicately strippled 'Last Warmth of the Day'; but it is recent single cut, 'You Make Me Forget Myself', the laid back, moody psychedelic track which features bassist Maxim (Panda) Barron on lead vocals for the first time, that is one of the undoubted album highlights, swaying on melancholic realms like a lyrical daydream.
'Happy In The Hollow' ultimately sees TOY back on form with their best full-length work since their debut, which should leave fans sufficiently happy in their own hollows.
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