Here's a band I really should have written about earlier: Beau, two friends from New York City who started making music together aged 13. Heather Goldin and Emma Jenney craft dreamy, melodic songs, on the verges of alt-pop and indie-rock, or perhaps folk, maybe indie ... you get the idea. The important thing is their songs always provide a really engaging listen.
I've chosen 'Talk To Me', which was released in July. It's not their newest track (that's 'Messy', which came out on 14 August), but it's one that's been stuck in my mind for the last few weeks.
This is a song with a fabulous sense of warmth in the production, starting right at the very beginning where a synth fades slowly in from barely-there ambience to something more solid, strong enough to form a base for a strummed acoustic guitar and then a sublimely dreamy vocal line.
The lyrics start on a non sequitur — always hard to get right, but Beau get it very right here. "You wear it on your sleeve, you can't hide this from me" - an intriguing line, which immediately sets the scene and leaves you wanting - needing - to hear more of the story. That story unfolds in its own time, allowing you to understand, bit by bit, what's behind the title.
"Talk to me" becomes a repeated theme, a request which becomes more urgent and important as the song develops. "Why do you leave me hanging? Talk to me, trust in me ..."; here, the words signal a bit of a shift in meaning, and there's more of that to come (no spoilers).
After the chorus, the music, which has become full and enveloping, drops away leaving the guitar, gentle drums - now with a more scratchy sounding strum - and a more exposed voice. Everything soon returns, but, later, there's a more dramatic falling away of the layers of sound. Those moments of isolation are really effective: a clever way of creating structure from space as well as solidity.
'Talk To Me' is a very skilfully written song, sung with accuracy and lucidity. It's a great illustration of the proficiency of the duo, crafted after more than 15 years together. Beau are a band I'll keep following very closely.
Check out the track below, and be sure to follow Beau on Instagram and X. Also don't miss their brilliant, juicy covers of 'Heart Of Glass' and 'Hanging On The Telephone' which you can find in the usual places... And, Beau have a new album coming on 17 September!