Hey look around now

Ever dreamt of a place you've never visited?

Felt a familiarity and affinity with something you've never actually experienced?

That is the feeling evoked by the eponymously titled debut album from Mono In VCF. Picture an Autumn morning in 60s Paris. A framed perfect picture scene. Fallen leaves disguise the ground. The sun shines deceptively bright. Desperately clinging to the end of it's season. Refusing to admit defeat to the brisk chill that creeps in to replace it. A couple walk arm in arm, disturbing the leaves with each footstep. Wrapped in warm coats, they smoke carefully rolled cigarettes. Talk of mortality. Of love. Of worries and fears. It could be a snapshot from an obscure new wave film. But instead of subtitles and film score, these 11 songs are the soundtrack.

Opening credits belong to 'Escape City Scrapers'. Sweeping in on dramatic orchestral keys, it's a bold, dramatic start. A tale of longing to flee that which holds you back, it sets the precedent for the songs that follow. Keenly observed melodrama combined with widescreen romanticism. There's a sense of perpetual longing. Much of the lyrics seem like unspoken conversations. Words and thoughts that fill the mind but would never dared be spoken out loud. Kim Miller's delivery is somehow both coldly detached yet emotionally warm. At times seeming so intimate as to be whispered in your ear for your sole consideration.

Much of the record appears to deal with unfulfilled lives. Of acceptance that dreams will never be realised. Of wasted days and missed opportunities. 'There's No Blood In Bone' epitomises it. A tale of lovers so entwined they can't escape the inevitable separation. Eerie keys fluctuate over a melancholy hip hop beat, heightening the tension and melancholia. A wall of sound built up by shoe gazing guitars that shimmer in the depths with a subtle strength. 'Masha' is wistful and haunting. 'Chanteuse', a dreamlike, other worldly experience.

What's most refreshing is the band's unwillingness to settle for mediocre, indie obviousness. It's the antithesis of those one dimensional copycat bands. Mono In VCF sound like no other band you'll have heard this year. With aspirations above and beyond the average guitar band, they've created a record that is more than just a collection of songs. As with all the great records, the album works best as a whole. While heavy on atmosphere, the production is light of touch. Instruments float around one another. Layers build delicately around the vocals, creating a true sonic soundscape. 'Mono In VCF' is a glorious cinematic experience. Sweeping and majestic yet never unnecessarily grandiose or overblown. Never once misplacing or over egging the restrained, deft touches. Like an empty house, it echoes with memories of what came before. Hints at influences as wide and varied as Ennio Morricone, My Bloody Valentine and David Axelrod, without once being so obvious or lazy as to name check them directly.

As the final credits roll, the instrumental 'We Could've Owned The World' ushers you back into the real world. Back into the light, the realisation tht you've experienced something very special. 'Mono In VCF' is a timeless record that wouldn't seem out of place in any decade, made by a band who deserve to be huge here and now.

Mono In VCF - chanteuse from the album 'Mono In VCF'

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