Brooklyn boy Patric Fallon’s project Courtship and new EP Hope is a musical telescope into the luminous synth starscape, a lo-fi dream pop compilation which is the first chapter in the Virtues trilogy, soon to be followed by the Faith and Grace EPs. Very much with a bona fide American spirit, Hope was written throughout San Francisco, Brooklyn and Chicago, a “pop-focused meditation on the ideas of hopefulness and hopelessness“. The album artwork, a sand dune in grayscale, is much like the music in the way that it is soft and comfortable, but can be moulded, and its subsequent ripples make a combination of patterns and different shades. Its dreamy electronic sounds change direction and reach new heights like the ever-transforming sand, but its essential nature is always the same comfortable softness – it is Hopeful.
The echoing, ethereal escape begins with ‘Handwritten‘, an ambience of soft robotic sounds with qualities borrowed from the popular electronic landscape of Washed Out and the slightest attribution to oriental touches á la Bonobo’s ‘Kiara‘. ‘My View‘ incorporates a range of romantic sounds, a scattering of sparkling notes and a consistent beat, an impressive spectrum for the ears that sounds much too mammoth for just one mind to have created. Fallon continues to surprise with ‘Midwestern Humility‘, though carrying a strong similarity to Washed Out, its single vocal layer with unexpected lyrical profanity (“fuck it all“) and tactical reverb keep the listener interested. What the first few tracks need is the power of a real hook, but this shortcoming can be dismissed for the cushy way each track transitions into the next with whimsical flow.
For those seeking the surreal, ‘[Imageless]‘ is a track that throws you into a room of echoes, and is very true to its title in the way that it becomes more a sound project than a song. Structure is an unknown concept here, but the haphazard collection of voices and sounds from a floating fantasy world fit into what Fallon creates with the rest of the EP – a dream. ‘My Friends‘ showcases a different character in his voice, complications are discarded and the vocals feel closer, with the lyrics “I lost my friends to drugs, I lost my friends to money“, a relatable side is reached. Comforting use of guitar and some familiar voices from the former track play on the sleepy and enjoyable, a charming lullaby.
When it is over, an uncanny ability of making the EP feel very short is realised, even with five and four-minute songs, it seems inadequate to satisfy the mesmerised curiosity Courtship’s music feeds. Closing track ‘Dishwater Blonde‘ holds the most musical quality, Fallon’s voice is more isolated than on any other track and the endearing squeak of fingers caressing guitar strings provide the best combination of melancholic dream pop boasted throughout the EP, leaving a lasting impression as soothing as an evening on the beach – the waves of Hope its soundtrack.
Written by Caroline Bursell
