Having never really completely fallen for The Smittens on record (and I feel guilty for that, believe me), the new Let’s Whisper album, ‘The Shortest Days’ makes me wonder if I shouldn’t go back and listen to them all again. 'Cos, y’see, Colin Clary and Dana Kaplan have made the best album of the year so far here.The pair have been around for ages of course, and have been making music under the Let’s Whisper monicker for the best part of a decade, but what they’ve seemingly done here is wrap up all the best indiepop sounds of the last few years and put their own decidedly cute twist on it.
And so ‘Evy and Sarah’ – along with a few others – has hints of Allo Darlin’ more introspective stuff, ‘Heart on my Mirror’ is the same kind of gentle scattergun pop as Pipas excel in, whilst ‘Meet Me on the Dancefloor’ makes me think of Andersen Tapes’ or Pocketbooks’ more sassy moments.
But as we fast approach Spring in the UK, and when we should all be looking forward to sun-filled days outside of pubs, inside sweaty gigs, and generally feeling glad that the winter months are behind us, then ‘The Shortest Days’ drags us back to reality, like all the best records do. Even it’s name reminds us of the bittersweet, as do songs like the deceptively affecting ‘2 Hours’ and ‘Leave this Town’, which reads like the most heartbreaking break-up letter ever.
It’s easy to write off Let’s Whisper as a side-project of a band perhaps more feted by Those in the Know, but that would be to undervalue an album like this. It’s only March, but I’d bet by the end of the year I’ll come back to this and realise it has more depth, joy, happiness, and big pop moments than 99 per cent of the rest of albums released this year. It’s a must, quite simply.
Order 'The Shortest Days' here.
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