Delphic Doubt

Is there even an ocean between the United States and the United Kingdom? Half of today's best acts seem to be coming from England, and you may as well lump Manchester trio Delphic into that mess. What caught my attention here, you ask? Well, probably the infectious overlapping of electronica and dreamy vocals. It's almost shoegazey but, uh, not close. Perhaps one of the best comparisons I could make is to the band Friendly Fires, whose danceable undertones are impossible to ignore.

Overall, I've found this album to be quite enjoyable. There are some shortcomings though: the song Red Lights, for example, gets a little repetitive. Similarly, the constant dance-driven electro-percussion can make listening through the full album a bit of a struggle. The group hardly lacks enthusiasm, but I can't help but desire a bit up the stream of the mellowed-out tracks 9+10, "Ephemera" and "Remain".

[This album] is certainly worth your time, and it really is a very well executed piece of music. There's no doubt that they have developed quite a distinct and original sound that genuinely is half-way between indie and dance, but it's a sound that's almost ruthlessly efficient and faceless, at the risk of being difficult to connect with. That said, there are many real moments of promise here, not least when they let go of their inhibitions with the incredibly layered album closer "Remain", and its refrain of "Give it all / just to get it". In fact, it is vocalist James Cook's lyricism and urgency that lift "Acolyte" to being very good; for every metallic wave of synth, there's a lyric loaded with warmth and spirit - Not Many Experts