Girls In the White Dream

The Japanese quartet Water Fai are on the one hand just a little out of time, drawing together a slew of shoegaze and other indie rock reference points from the ’90s into a synthesis that harkens to a time already. But on the flipside — as so many groups worldwide can seem to do with these sounds — the out of time/place fusions created can actually help them stand out all the more. Girls in the White Dream is above all else a sweet listen, both in its occasional lyrics and more often in its music; the band favors but does not entirely rely on instrumentals, usually to very good effect. “Kaiyon” is a prime example, its shimmering keyboards and almost dreamy key shifts pegging it as a near-escapee from an album like Mogwai’s Rock Action, but refracted through a very gentle lens, an anthem that never fully rampages nor needs to. Though “Round Pool” takes that implicit sense of aiming big and perfects it, switching inspirations to the Cure circa Wish, it’s a sunny number with just enough heft. If much of the album lends itself to comparison points to other bands or even labels — “You are the Sun” isn’t completely a tribute to Sarah Records but isn’t far off either — then it’s still a lovely fusion that just needs more time for the band to stand out further. In the meantime, everything from the actually rocking out a bit break in “Silent Foam” to the calm opening ramble of “To the Green Town” provides a lovely listen for those inclined to the reflective in their rock & roll. – Ned Raggett