The debut release by Greensboro’s Jenny Besetzt teems with fluidity, energy and nostalgia. Only is one long, euphoric ode to a lost love — or, perhaps, a love that can’t get lost.
The group’s cyclical and atmospheric sound is comparable to the likes of Broken Social Scene or My Bloody Valentine, with echoing guitar and dynamic rhythm.
Meanwhile, vocals usually aren’t quite discernible beyond the occasional yearning “Do you remember (insert tender memory here)” or “I was a fool,” and so on.
Jenny Besetzt specializes in the kind of nostalgia that hurts, and Only shows this expertise from start to finish. With track names like “Hours We Could Have Spent Fucking With The TV On” and “They Were Full of Brave Illusions About Each Other,” this comes as no surprise.
It’s easy to listen to Only several times over without noticing. Granted, many of its tracks sound very similar. But for being the kind of soundtrack-to-a-daydream album that it is, that’s not a problem — it’s appropriate.
For being a debut, Only doesn’t sound at all like one. It’s a collage of spiraling reminiscence and windows-down melodies that’s perfect to get lost in.
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