A kind of neu-folky supergroup consisting of singers Josienne Clarke and Samantha Whates, along with multi-instrumentalist Adam Beattie and producer Sonny Johns, PicaPica have been releasing music since 2017.
They’ve refined their sound along the way to craft delicate songs that mix a kind of woozy psychedelic vibe with, on the best tracks here, more challenging, astringent sounds and textures. Especially when the lead singers’ vocal harmonies lock in, as on On The Wing and Sucker Punch; this produces some soaring moments, a kind of 21st-century take on Pentangle.
Less happily, there are times when the arrangements here are too polite, leaving you longing for more grit, less winsomeness, and for more of PicaPica’s songs to take unexpected turns, to surprise you.
6/10
Jonathan Wright