The Sound of Arrows' inaugural release essentially takes the form of an extra-extended CD single, with four remixes and two additional songs in addition to the marquee track, but it feels more like a well-tailored mini-LP, complete with brief intro and outro vignettes that help establish a fluid, consistent mood and bring the run-time up to a respectable 40 minutes. Although they appeared on the beloved Swedish indie label Labrador, and certainly measure up to that imprint's standard of indie pop quality, a better reference point for the duo's sound (which is every bit as distinctive as their name suggests) is the equally pop-friendly but more exploratory, collage-informed aesthetic of the Sincerely Yours stable (
the Tough Alliance,
the Honeydrips, JJ.) Like those artists, the Sound of Arrows employ a mixture of electronic and organic elements (appropriately enough for a duo consisting of a former orchestral musician and a one-time house producer), all swirled together and dappled with a hazy sheen of nostalgic sweetness which makes that distinction seem almost irrelevant. From the lush, symphonic wistfulness of "Winding Roads" to the glistening, punchy pop of the title track (whose giddy exuberance is about as far as possible from the fearful parental cautions of its lyrics), its varied but simpatico slate of remixes (including Mr Pedro's electro-housey tweak, which adds some entirely new vocal melodies), and a shuffling ukulele'n'handclaps cover from Japanese tweesters Ice Cream Shout,
Danger! marks the welcome arrival of a rosy and highly lovable new indie pop prospect. ~ K. Ross Hoffman