Austin's Sleep ∞ Over first appeared as a trio with a woozy pop 7" on Forest Family last year. Since then, they've slimmed down to one member, Stefanie Franciotti, who returns with an upgraded full-length debut that plays like a shoegaze record for a generation reared on The NeverEnding Story.
Franciotti's sound hinges on her dual interest in highly textured pop and errant noise. On the project's early tracks, those elements resulted in a sound that was aimless and a little soupy, if still pretty. Here, Franciotti is able to create a dynamic contrast by giving equal prominence to each, alternating between new wave-indebted slow-dance jams and experimental tracks that range in tone from sublimely ambient to jagged and far-out. This puts Franciotti in the company of Peaking Lights and Sun Araw, and while she's not as cosmically bent as either, she's making the same kind of escapist music that, at its best, can feel transportative.
Ultimately, the album's song-oriented material is the most memorable. "Romantic Streams", "Casual Diamond", and highlight "Stickers" are peppered with space-age chimes and melting glissandos that feel grounded and organic. And despite all the machine noise, Franciotti's vocals feel approachable and human. Though her singing is sometimes unremarkable, at times sound like a slurry Hope Sandoval trapped in a bell jar (this is a compliment). At these moments, Forever's frozen lullabies provide mix immediate gratification with a hint of mystery.
