My Name Is Ian

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Fantastic Company

Bubblewrap, 2021

9/10

Listen to Fantastic Company

The Cardiff, Wales stars My Name Is Ian return with yet another release, and this one took quite a bit longer to create as a large handful of singers, much production and a detour from their usual garage-pop ways keep the listener guessing as to what’s next.

The title track starts the listen with warm guitar picking and continues with both ‘70s influenced sort of grooves alongside modern indie-rock ideas that swirls with melody, and “What’s The Point” follows with a percussively strong display of cultured song craft that’s beat heavy and harmonica friendly.

Landing in the middle, “I’m On Top Of The World” flows with a breezy approach of cozy rhythm amid a chorus we’ll all remember from the mid ‘90s, while “For Love” buzzes with plenty of pop flavor that also flirts with disco ideas. “Never Again” then embraces hip-hop nods alongside cozy keys as playfulness and sophistication meet at a very interesting intersection.

Deeper yet, “Boop Boop” will get you headed straight to the dance floor with its infectious energy and hypnotic keys, and “Everybody Love” exits the listen with a glorious, soulful and addictive quality that you’ll be singing along to instantly.

There’s a lot going on here, so much so that easy classification is impossible, but expect electronica, rock, psyche-pop and folk traces, to name a few, to appear, as My Name Is Ian set off on a path that few others would dare, and that no one could execute quite like this.

Travels well with: Quiet Marauder- The Gift; Tele Novella- Merlynn Belle