Dream pop will always hold onto a certain New Wave romanticism tied directly to the early 1980s, and if its pulled off well, it can be just as good as it's precursors. Combine a dreary post-punk theme to this equation and you're looking at a sound that's hard to pull yourself away from, it'll just suck you right in. Chicago's Gentle Leader XIV are aiming for the gray bleakness of your hardened heart with "Chambers of Your Heart" which we've got the video premiere for here today for you. A polished pulse to keep you in line, distant vocals dripping with icy siren's duo delivery, and a gripping mid-tempo brings everything around you into their focus.
Featuring Maria Jenkins (Hollows, Parsley Flakes) and Jeffery Tucholski (Running), this project is a major departure for both of these long-running Chicago musicians' repertoires, taking on the ethereal mist versus three-part 60s style harmonics and brackish 90s noise rock, respectively. The distance between the humanity of the vocals and the coldness of the electronics cannot be understated, and Gentle Leader XIV seem to embrace this divide with confidence.
Released today by Moniker Records, find the Gentle Leader XIV debut LP at fine record stores everywhere, and check out their video for "Chambers of Your Heart" right HERE.
