{"id":75686,"date":"2019-01-30T16:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T16:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=75686"},"modified":"2023-04-07T14:25:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-07T13:25:38","slug":"review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Small Talks &#8211; A Conversation Between Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-75687\" src=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-465x465.jpg 465w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>From the opening bars of<em> \u2018Better For It\u2019<\/em>, you\u2019d be forgiven for writing off <strong>Small Talks<\/strong>, the project of South Carolina native Cayley Spivey, as The 1975\/Pale Waves-esque identikit indie pop. But it\u2019s worth persevering with \u2013 it\u2019s a far more rewarding album than it at first suggests. Described as \u201cbedroom pop\u201d, Small Talk\u2019s music is often more effervescent than that of contemporaries such as Soccer Mommy, with a vibrancy that refreshes the genre.<\/p>\n<p>Early on, <em>\u2018Teeth\u2019<\/em> impresses, as Spivey\u2019s mellifluous vocals and the hazy, CHVRCHES-esque instrumentals dovetail together to create a transfixing sound. It\u2019s the start of a strong spell from <strong>Small Talks<\/strong>, as the lush, all-encompassing soundscapes of<em> \u2018Quiet Sounds\u2019<\/em> and <em>\u2018Bed\u2019<\/em> continue much along these lines.<em> \u2018Bed\u2019<\/em> is particularly infectious, its atmospheric melodies making for a lot of earworm potential.<\/p>\n<p>It can\u2019t be ignored that on occasion, the lyrics can veer into trite territory. The refrain of <em>\u2018Anybody\u2019<\/em> \u2013 <em>\u201cso pour me a drink\/I don\u2019t need to think honey\/I wanna hold another drag of your cigarette<\/em>\u201d isn\u2019t the most inspiring, and harks back to the initial inkling that this is simply indie-pop by numbers. Sometimes, there is the feeling that this is music written for quirky teen coming-of-age movies, particularly when listening to the likes of<em> \u2018Oceans\u2019<\/em>. <em>\u2018A Conversation Between Us\u2019<\/em> alternates between insipid and inspired, often from one song to the next.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Small Talks - Oceans (Official Music Video)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TePUli7-_rE?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The album ends strongly, however. <em>\u2018Thinking Of The Sun\u2019<\/em> is one of the heavier songs, which invites a more emphatic finale than you\u2019d expect. The driving synths are almost industrial \u2013 a marked departure from the more mellow feel earlier on.<\/p>\n<p>There is a lot of potential here, and if the entire album was as good as the strongest tracks \u2013 such as <em>\u2018Teeth\u2019,<\/em> <em>\u2018Bed\u2019<\/em> and <em>\u2018Thinking Of The Sun\u2019<\/em> \u2013 we\u2019d be looking at a very accomplished record. However, as it stands, it\u2019s merely a promising one.<\/p>\n<p>3.5\/5<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018A Conversation Between Us\u2019<\/em> by <strong>Small Talks<\/strong> is released on 1st February on <strong>Common Ground Records<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Small Talks<\/strong> links:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SmallTalksMB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook<\/a> |\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/smalltalksmb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0| <a href=\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/smalltalksmb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Words by Adam England\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamEnglandSO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@AdamEnglandSO<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;&#8216;A Conversation Between Us&#8217; is far more rewarding album than it at first suggests.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":75687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[16530,16012,2813,16529],"class_list":["post-75686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-a-conversation-between-us","tag-adam-england","tag-common-ground-records","tag-small-talks"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review: Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&quot;&#039;A Conversation Between Us&#039; is far more rewarding album than it at first suggests.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us - Already Heard Staging\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&quot;&#039;A Conversation Between Us&#039; is far more rewarding album than it at first suggests.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Already Heard Staging\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AlreadyHeard\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-01-30T16:00:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-07T13:25:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adam England\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@alreadyhearduk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@alreadyhearduk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adam England\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Review: Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us - Already Heard Staging","description":"\"'A Conversation Between Us' is far more rewarding album than it at first suggests.\"","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Review: Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us - Already Heard Staging","og_description":"\"'A Conversation Between Us' is far more rewarding album than it at first suggests.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/","og_site_name":"Already Heard Staging","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AlreadyHeard\/","article_published_time":"2019-01-30T16:00:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-07T13:25:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Adam England","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@alreadyhearduk","twitter_site":"@alreadyhearduk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Adam England","Estimated reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/"},"author":{"name":"Adam England","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/f818c656ea8d0118d4079fa62f6c3882"},"headline":"Review: Small Talks &#8211; A Conversation Between Us","datePublished":"2019-01-30T16:00:53+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-07T13:25:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/"},"wordCount":364,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg","keywords":["A Conversation Between Us","Adam England","Common Ground Records","Small Talks"],"articleSection":["Album Reviews"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/","url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/","name":"Review: Small Talks - A Conversation Between Us - Already Heard Staging","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg","datePublished":"2019-01-30T16:00:53+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-07T13:25:38+00:00","description":"\"'A Conversation Between Us' is far more rewarding album than it at first suggests.\"","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-small-talks-a-conversation-between-us\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/A-Conversation-Between-Us.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/","name":"Already Heard Staging","description":"Covering the best in alternative music as best as we can","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#organization","name":"Already Heard","url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AH-relaunch-logo-white-bg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/AH-relaunch-logo-white-bg.jpg","width":500,"height":500,"caption":"Already Heard"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AlreadyHeard\/","https:\/\/x.com\/alreadyhearduk","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/alreadyheard\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/already-heard\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/AlreadyHeardMusic","https:\/\/tiktok.com\/@alreadyhearduk","https:\/\/www.threads.net\/@alreadyheard"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/#\/schema\/person\/f818c656ea8d0118d4079fa62f6c3882","name":"Adam England","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f41db23210c4e7b7c829bb05256aef56f0b3add576397f392b652b89e02c485?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f41db23210c4e7b7c829bb05256aef56f0b3add576397f392b652b89e02c485?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7f41db23210c4e7b7c829bb05256aef56f0b3add576397f392b652b89e02c485?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Adam England"},"url":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/author\/adam-england\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75686"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75742,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75686\/revisions\/75742"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}