Embarking on a forth of four records, Tamaryn's linage becomes crystal clear. From her patchy embryonic origins, The Waves roots in Shoegazing noise steadily blossomed. Culminating with an arrival of infectious Synthpop suggestions on Cranekiss, Dreaming The Dark is a natural conclusion. Steered away from ethereal ambiguities and dense guitar textures, this record lands firmly on the catchy synth driven sound of 80s. As a retroactive sound, it embraces all the glories of modern production, carving ear worms with courageous singing and jiving keyboard melodies.
Angels Of Sweat roars out the gate with an empowered stride, setting a striking tone. Soaring vocals scale the octaves, animated with emotion as Tamaryn lends her words to wild hooky inflections. Hard hitting saw waves bustle and punchy percussive rhythms rock to form a united front, executing this fantastic song writing boldly.
As great records do, Dreaming The Dark explores temperament and mood narrowed to nightly vibes. The shadowy allure of melodies shimmering in cold resonance broods. Stiff drum patterns loop, charging vivid synth leads with a subtle curation of hazy steel guitars in the backdrop. Its a key chemistry, chaining Tamaryn's energetic, upbeat presence. Leading her through shrouded, dreamy drifts into darker spaces.
On occasional, this spell is broken. Victim Complex amps up bold synths, jiving hard on a vibe. Her singing explores a multitude of catchy deliveries, the chorus erupting with charisma. The Jealous Kind hits a similar cheery tone while offering a broody plunge between its bright lead melodies. Another song of note, possibly the records best, is Path To Love. Possessing a beautiful instrumental chemistry, a duet with a brief male counterpart gives it another riveting flavor that gels smoothly.
Dreaming The Dark reshapes the best attributes of 80s Synthpop into its glorious dreamy sway. Tamaryn swoons on a high, backed by a contrast of bright, cheerful infection and hazy Ethereal wonder. It hangs in a cunning balance. When locked in by grasp, the record feels reminiscent to the sways of classics like Black Celebration. Yet in its latter half, a couple songs loose pacing, finding a lull. Otherwise this would of been near flawless. One to come back to again in the years to come for sure!
Rating: 8/10