Rainwater Cassette Daydream

Deerhunter return with Rainwater Cassette Exchange, their first release since 2008’s Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. The band’s latest is a showcase of what remains of the shoegaze genre. It delivers poignant lyrics dripping in reverb and incorporates obvious influences from exponents such as Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine, while adding a classic tint of ’60s surfer rock.

Rainwater opens with the title track, a trippy rendition of ’60s-style psychedelia. It meanders in an earnest naivety to an awe-inspiring crescendo with stomping drums and guitars so soaked in reverb they could be played underwater. This dreamy haze is stirred by the post-punk guitar of “Disappearing Ink,” which carries on the ’60s motif, delivering a sound that would fit perfectly into a Kinks set.

Not one song on Rainwater is too long; each plays out to its natural conclusion with no sign of overkill. Even the 5-minute closing track “Circulation” is almost perfect in its construction with every aspect of the composition played with an affection rarely seen in today’s bustling music scene. Deerhunter does not write songs, but instead lets them grow through experimentation and the nurturing of brilliant ideas.

Although only an EP, Rainwater Cassette Exchange packs the punch of a full-length release. It doesn’t appear that Deerhunter can produce anything, but the best in contemporary alternative music, and this is a prime example of a band on top form.