For 14 years, Delta Sleep have become a prominent mainstay in the UK’s indie math-rock scene. In turn, they’ve never been a band made for bigger things, opting to comfortably deliver a string of admirable releases while occasionally stepping into conceptual territory. 2021’s ‘Spring Island’ honed in on the quarter’s emotional nuances, providing a consistent level of quality in the process.
The arrival of fifth album, ‘Blue Garden’ promises an expansive Delta Sleep. It is the result of a more collaborative, and thoughtful recording process. Having abandoned their Brighton base in favour of Daft Studios in Belgium, the four-piece recorded with Mark Roberts (Black Peaks, Toska, The Physics House Band) over two and a half weeks. The end result is twelve evocative songs that dwell on internal and external themes, touching on personal despair and widespread turmoil.
Throughout, it tonally treads the fine line between light and dark. ‘Dawn’ twinkles with ambient keys before ‘Slow Burn‘s dense power chords interrupt. Emphasising Delta Sleep‘s sonically darker tone, Dave Jackson’s bass broods as guitarist Dev Yüceil’s vocals ruminate on focusing on his own needs as he “watches the world burn”.
‘Blue Garden’ does a fine job of balancing out Delta Sleep‘s ability to organically grow and experiment. For example, ‘The Distance’s colourful percussion firmly leans into their math-rock tendencies before settling into a smooth R&B rhythm. Yüceil’s words yearn for connection despite his lyrical and vocal intimacy. It’s complemented by ‘Glow’s sultry tenderness. With its dimly lit instrumentation and hushed vocals, it’s delivering with a captivating quality. Elsewhere, ‘Illuminator’‘s opening is dominated by swirling, glitchy effects abruptly by remote words of despair. It’s
In contrast, there are moments where the quartet, completed by guitarist Glen Hodgson and drummer Blake Mostyn, deliver sturdy and emotive indie rock songs. Alongside ‘Toe Stepper’ and ‘Sl_ck_rs’, mid-album highlight ‘Figure In The Dark’ thrives with bold energy, melodic charm, and newfound love adrenaline poured into its lyrics.
As ‘Blue Garden’ reaches its conclusion, ‘A Casa’ comfortably sits into soft, atmospheric territory, with dynamic drum work and plucky rhythms. Carried with an experimental flair, it exemplifies Delta Sleep‘s growing palette of sounds and tones. It’s followed by ‘Sun Chaser’, which aims to provide a sense of comfort to the disillusion that threads ‘Blue Garden’ together. Yüceil’s final resolute words of “I’ll see you when the sun is shining” are accompanied by towering guitars, and distant cheers and applause.
Overall, Delta Sleep confidently takes progressive steps on ‘Blue Garden’ yet never abandons their emotional math-rock tendencies. It’s tonally well-balanced between their melody-driven strengths and interesting, pallette-expanding advancements. As a result, it offers just enough to entice new fans and is sure to please those who have stuck by them.
‘Blue Garden’ by Delta Sleep is out now on Sofa Boy Records in partnership with Wax Bodega.
