The 6th album from increasingly psychedelic Wellington indie rockers The Phoenix Foundation. The up-tempo drum grooves we started to see on 2013’s ‘Fandango’ (with the introduction of drummer Chris O’Connor) really shine on ‘Give Up Your Dreams’, creating a rhythmic thread that ties the album together. While cohesive as a whole, showcasing Samuel Flynn Scott and Luke Buda‘s knack for coming up with genuinely interesting hooks, melodies and vocal lines, some of the tracks do risk getting locked into their own grooves, with somewhat repetitive riffing and a lack of dynamic variation.

The synthesiser-laden, electric tracks are a cool change from the more usual TPF folky acoustic guitar. The energy is tangible, the album feels made for live shows, dancing and jamming. The supremely catchy, non-sensical ballad Bob Lennon John Dylan and the R&B inspired “ah’s” that open Celestial Bodies are good examples of the kind of quirkiness you can expect from the album. TPF don’t show any sign of giving up on their dreams and continue their sonic experimentation, honing their songwriting skills in an exciting way.