REVIEW: Delay Trees - Readymade

On Readymade, their third album, Delay Trees display a remarkable ability to create songs that are rich in texture yet melodically light.  Where the sophomore release, Doze, was written across a sprawling shoegaze and dream pop landscape, the Finnish band now reigns in that aspect of their craft to sharpen the pop side of the shoegaze spectrum.  And I think the result is their best work to date.

Delay Trees have adeptly chosen what to keep and what to change or improve for this album.  The haunting vocals, sung in unison, remain.  The guitar tones are superb -- a warm and low reverberation.  And the drone aesthetic still provides the foundation, but now is adorned with pop hooks, more distinct melodies and a tighter structure.  The fusion could have gone all wrong, but here it seems completely natural.  Moreover, the sequencing of the album allows the songs to flow like a single, and singular, musical story.  Apparently, the title of the album references the band's feeling that these songs seemed already created and simply "found", rather than requiring effort to craft.  I can only hope the band continues to find such ready made tunes.

The softer songs on the album are absolute gems, and I can't imagine Readymade without them.  But two of the faster-paced songs best showcase the album, so here are "Perfect Heartache" and "Fireworks".





Delay Trees are Rami Vierula, Lauri Jarvinen, Sami Korhonen and Onni Oikari.  Readymade is out now via Helsinki's Soliti Music.

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