Garlands’ ‘Turn the Sky’ delivers spacey synth-pop and noisy shoegaze

Garland's 'Turn the Sky' is full of the synth-pop that fans have come to expect from the group, who have long had a residency at 8MM Bar ★★★

When a band is named after Cocteau Twins’ first album, you kind of know what to expect. With their anachronistic sound and lyrics about astrophysics and spirituality, Garlands evoke the cold 80s sound pioneered by their namesake.

On Turn the Sky, with their delicious harmonies that play out against a wall of psychedelic synth-pop and noisy shoegaze sounds, Berliners Catharina Rüß and Sui Kemmer dream up cold-wave kraut-pop. It’s like if The Doors, Velvet Underground and Can teamed up to form a modern supergroup in Berlin that plays a residency at 8MM Bar.

It’s safe to say that this is a far-out record, although fans of the Cocteau Twins might be pining for a bit more depth and emotion. ★★★