SALES - SALES

Dimly lit bedrooms all over the world are hubs for musical creativity. Makeshift studios in closets, bed spreads and desk spaces paint much of the current recording climate. From Bon Iver’s infamous cabin in Wisconsin, to Rosie Thomas’ shared apartment with Sufan Stevens in Brooklyn, to Daniel Johnston’s parents’ house in West Virginia; there’s a plethora of deeply affecting albums and artists that have blossomed in their bedroom. These releases are products, literal and creative, of the walls that nurtured them.

Out towards the humid swamps, between the Atlantic coast and the gulf of Mexico, there’s a bedroom in Orlando, Florida. For nearly three years Lauren Morgan and Jordan Shih have fortified their sound and that bedroom, slowly transforming it into SALES HQ. After an onslaught of singles and a debut EP in 2014 that accumulated all their exquisite minimal pop songs, they have finally self-released their debut LP. Teasing with the singles ‘Ivy’, ‘Jamz’ and ‘Big Sis’, the results of their first full album always promised to be remarkable. The now trademark one-two punch of steady spacey programmed rhythms and gorgeous syrupy but sharp vocals do not disappoint on their debut.

Where their debut LP swells and explores new territory is in the more experimental R&B infused tracks such as ‘Be My Baby’, ‘Thurs 6-25’ and ‘Mondays’. The chopped vocal edits let the electronic flare of their music take centre stage. Shih’s deft display of beats and recoding technique allows the tracks to feel fresh, while the whispered asides and delicate attitude of Morgan keep the stories within the songs moving. SALES have a gift for appearing both shy and direct. Instrumental track ‘Untitled 01’ shows off how their muted silky guitars are immaculately constructed, which in turn allows the whole composition to speak for itself rather than one hook or melody to take over. Beyond the bedroom, beyond Orlando, the intimate dreamy sentiment of the album, and the future of the band, is settled as they soulfully coo “life’s waiting for me, waiting for me outside…”.