Neu Gaps

: Gaps
Based: Brighton
Listen: soundcloud.com/gapsmusic
Similar to: Beach House

How can a band so new to the world emerge with songs as pristine and fully-produced as these, without having an experienced face or two in their ranks? Maybe a Paul Epworth or Gareth Jones-type is backing Gaps. But for all we know this is the project of Rachel & Ed, two featureless names placing songs from the hills in the scary city.

The escape you get when life takes you away from the screen and into the outdoors? That’s Gaps. The cold, isolated you get from a walk alone at night? That’s also Gaps. It’s an odd fusion, this. Comforting, ritualistic folk makes the target of its wrath a simple gadget.

‘The Void’ is hypnotic, its acoustic-based pulse being sent through a harsh aesthetic. The real head-turner is ‘When I’m Gone’, which initially starts much like ‘The Void’, an onus on pagan-like sounds and repetition. 20 seconds in, Rachel’s voice is sent skywards. It’s maddening. Again, the band have few discernible contemporaries to speak of, but boy is this song going to influence many a new band in the coming years. Not too shabby for a starting point.