There was a lulling period in the late 90s in wake of the storm of beautiful noise that washed over the indie music scene from 1985 to 1994. It is here in this calm and secluded daydream you will find the music of laceleaf’s debut album Ritchie.
Reminiscent of Yo La Tengo, Pavement, and Mojave 3, laceleaf is the collaboration of Adam Weddle and Ethan Hoffman-Sadka. The two first crossed paths in Boston, Massachusetts, bonding over a mutual love for Elliott Smith. While frequenting the Allston DIY scene, Adam and Ethan moved into an apartment of their own where they began making music of their own- a mellow fusion of pop melodies from the early 2000s juxtaposed with the patience of 90s slowcore.
The album begins with the almost Bosanova idyllic groove of “Stagg Street Pt. 1”, the album drifts into its dream-laced wistful melancholy in earnest with the title track. The bittersweet and sombre mood continues with “Come Down” whose melody sounds akin to Robert Smith paring down a Cure song into Nick Drake simplicity.
The album’s standout track “Stay” is as gentle as rainfall, continuing the Nick Drake reverie as it ambles through its acoustic ambiance. “Drive Home” and “Shades of Blue” venture further into soft folk atmospheres culled from the 60s and 70s. This is followed by the instrumental interlude of “Linden”, with a light piano shimmer that trails off into slumber as the song ends.
In a liminal space between daydreams, the album returns to its post-shoegaze wanderings with the rhythmic ebb and flow of ‘The Shore”, a song that transitions perfectly into the “Golden Hour”, like the sunset on the beach., leading the way to the closer “Stagg Street Pt. 2”
Listen to laceleaf’s Ritchie below:
Laceleaf’s debut full-length album, Richie, is out now through I’m Into Life Records.
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