Toy - Clear Shot

The band Toy like to stretch the genres of shoegaze and psychedelic combining it with basic pop structures. After three years out of the studio, on Saturday 29^th October they release ‘Clear Shot’, their third studio album and with three singles released prior to it, it sounds like it will be their most cultivated record to date.

‘Clear Shot’ has been produced by David Wrench (Bat For Lashes, Everything Everything, Guillemots) and Chris Coady (Beach House, Future Islands) has mixed it in LA. These two have exquisite knowledge of developing albums and are sure to supply an original sound to ‘Clear Shot’. 

This can be heard in Toy’s first three singles that they have released; a distinct pristine sound is emphasised in each layer of the songs.  ‘Fast Silver’ was the first song released; it is a 6-minute single which isn’t a statement but rather drags the listener into a tranquil psychedelic voyage. The song is a moody first track as a return single, but it captivates the listener through the hypnotic haziness of Tom Dougall’s voice alongside haunting synths and vicious guitars.

  (Credit: Clear Shot Artwork)

‘I’m Still Believing’ takes us back to old school Toy; it is a break up song led by raw guitar chords and Tom’s exposing lyrics casually claiming “I feel unreal”. This song expresses Toy’s effortless skill of creating serene melodies, in possibly one of the simplest songs that they have created, it is one of the most important elements in their music.

‘Clouds That Cover the Sun’ shares similar qualities to Fast Silver, we are once again sucked into the voyage of hypnotic sound. It seems the band are maintaining their psychedelic influences a bit more over shoegaze and with a more developed intelligent sound. The song’s title is descriptive of the song itself, despite the song being quite melancholy there are sudden rays of sunny and exuberant sounds.

    (Credit: https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2012/01/24/toy-shacklewell-arms-review/)

It is an exciting time for Toy and their fans, it seems like a long time since they have been present in the music scene. Now they return with a new album and a UK tour to once again perform their enthralling shows. Toy have released a free stream of their album recently on NPR Music but if you want to wait for its actual release, it drops on Saturday.

TRACK LISTING

1. Clear Shot
2. Another Dimension
3. Fast Silver
4. I’m Still Believing
5. Clouds That Cover The Sun
6. Jungle Games
7. Dream Orchestrator
8. We Will Disperse
9. Spirits Don’t Lie
10. Cinema