Enveloping with a dreamy pop and rock intertwining within a live setting, Is-Y-Deri is an alluring new EP from Liverpool, UK-based band Secret Garden Gathering — releasing on July 4th. The release marks their return after a 12-year hiatus, and compels definitively in its magnetic songwriting and performance, which seamlessly traverses between lushness and emotive ascents. The EP’s title translates in Welsh to “Beneath the Oak” –- representative of the live recording’s setting.
“Talking Numb3rs” kicks off the EP in atmospheric form, as panting percussive energy builds into crisp guitar jangles for an overall dreamy appeal. A hazy textural backing unveils past the one-minute mark, bolstering the sound further as Lorna’s serene title-touting vocal emergence arises. The track casts a dream-like spell in its overall soundscape, while also invigorating in its “running until I give up” lyrical perseverance. The ensuing “Fallen Leaves” captivates in its dual-vocal yearning and shoegaze-friendly guitar tones, delectably gauzy as the “don’t ever want to leave” vocal admissions send chills.
A nocturnal jangle-pop mystique flows throughout “_From_ [The] (Shire) {with} ♡Love♡” — fondly recalling TOPS as the guitars intensify during the “someone I used to know” vocal escalation. Meanwhile, “Hiding Out” continues that nighttime feeling, as twangy guitars meld with starry-eyed synths into solemn, haunting vocal layers that depict a duo of broken hearts. EP finale “You are the Darkness after my Dawn” is another thorough success, maneuvering from subdued introspection into a rousing burst of vocal ardency as the first minute passes. Is-Y-Deri is a fantastic return from Secret Garden Gathering.
