When referring back to dream pop’s heyday, you might need to be more specific nowadays. While clearly taking some inspiration from the genre’s origins in the ’80s, Norway’s Chain Wallet bare much more in common with last decade’s revival, fronted by acts like Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, and DIIV. Following up their self-titled 2016 debut, the group is leading the U.S. invasion by Oslo–based Jansen Records with LP number two, No Ritual.
This time around, the trio also seem to have embraced the downtempo dreaminess of late-aughts Destroyer, as even the most upbeat numbers possess a somnambulant undercurrent. While the lyrics continue to focus on heavy questions of existence, each of No Ritual’s ten songs is lighter than air.
“No Ritual is an exploration of thresholds; it’s about escaping existential dread by embracing the mysterious state of liminality,” the band explains, name-dropping the particularly vaporous mid-record instrumental number. “The album is an odyssey through space, myths, and emotions.”
No Ritual is out February 15 on Jansen Records. You can pre-order it here.
