Chartreuse - Morning Ritual

That Chartreuse’s own messaging has previously made much of their ability to take it slow seems somewhat of an understatement; the band, who emerged around the tail end of 2017 are only now - six years later - releasing a debut full-length. It’s not hard to hazard a guess as to why: the outfit’s brand of folk-influenced indie is an intricate one: see the meticulously-arranged skittishness of the title track for example, where each beat, note and silence is almost clinical in its placement. And therein lies what fails to elevate ‘Are You Looking For Something’ beyond ‘good’: each step feels overly deliberate, from the overwrought lyrical cliches (“I can’t get off my phone,” cries ‘Agitated’) to the repetition, which although perhaps attempting to create a psych-like trance, instead quickly becomes an irritant (‘Whippet’, ’This Could Be Anything’). At points it does seem as if the Midlanders are aware of their own ability to be consumed by their own mellow: the shift into ‘Never To Be Real’ is a much-welcome jolt to the senses. It’s all rich, luscious and well-crafted, and for solo headphone sessions could well offer a pleasant daydream - see in particular the intrigue of ‘Backstroke’. But otherwise, there’s every risk of ‘Morning Ritual’ retreating into the background.