Will Joseph Cook - Sweet Dreamer

From the bright blue sky and Technicolor slice of orange that adorns the sleeve of ‘Sweet Dreamer’ to its shimmering, kitchen-sink production values (there’s even time for some steel drums on ‘Plastic’), via literally calling
a song ‘Beach’, the sheer amount of summer vibes oozing from Will Joseph Cook’s debut could furnish an entire Thomson Holidays catalogue. Probably.

So far, so happy-go-lucky; ‘Girls Like Me’ nods a little towards the buoyant youthfulness of early Vampire Weekend, while ‘Alive’ brings to mind Passion Pit, or Darwin Deez. But, as the graveyard tales of ‘Treat Me Like A Lover’ or the soaring string-led ‘Hands’ suggest, there’s more than a smidgen of darkness lurking underneath. And, in fact it’s there closer ‘Waters Gone Cold’ lives, to spellbinding effect: channelling his inner Jeff Buckley, and leaving much of the studio sparkle behind, it’s the clear standout.