Listening to a group’s debut album is kind of like going to a yard sale. You’re not quite sure what you’re going to get in terms of quality, but you’re sure to find something interesting nonetheless.
Ice Cream‘s debut LP Love, Ice Cream is quite the successful yard sale.
This female duo (yay, girls!) from Canada released their LP on June 3. There’s a very experimental sound to the album, and there seems to be some sense of abstract art going on within the music. It’s kind of confusing and kind of great at the exact same time.
“Molecular pop” is not exactly a term that I can say I’m familiar with, but there of course has to be something to describe this type of music, as it is completely unique from anything I’ve heard before. Diving straight into the album, one single already has an accompanying music video, so let’s check that out first.
This track, “Material” is very low-tempo and has a bit of a sultry, bad-ass sound to it. It’s really unique in itself and there’s a vintage feel to the music video. Alarmingly to me was the implementation of gas masks in it (I’m really terrified of gas masks), but I’ll pull through it for the sake of art. The vocals are kept to a minimum with this one and there is a sense of chanting within the lyrics. It’s a bit chilling, but in the best way possible.
“Receiver” is the second track from the album and starts off with steady repetition of an indescribable sound. It almost makes you feel like you’re in the rainforest, and by the time the vocals kick in, they seem to be far away enough to almost be inaudible but stand out so vividly at the same time. There’s a psychedelic sound that kicks in a little after a minute into the song, and it almost seems to take you to another dimension.
“Veronica” is the fourth track from the album, and from the title I can already tell it will be a little more upbeat. As the song starts, you’re led into a reverberating melody that’s very experimental and very… well, sexy. There’s something about this one that makes your confidence level skyrocket and really just entrances you.
The vocals, once they kick in, contrast with the tempo in a way that it catches you off guard but is definitely pleasant. There seems to be more of a spoken word aspect to each of these tracks that you’ll notice as you listen further.
There’s something that separates Ice Cream from anyone else that you’ve heard, and that in itself makes you want to listen more.
Listen to “Material” on Thump and order their debut album over on Bad Actors.