Gingerlys – Gingerlys

Perfectly pleasant

Brooklyn quintet Gingerlys have released their debut full-length album through Babe City and Topshelf Records. Given the project is self-titled, it's safe to assume this is a testament of what Gingerlys stands for as a band, and what they're capable of delivering.

And after hearing this record in full, it's clear where exactly Gingerlys wants to be: somewhere soaring over warm, nostalgic dream vibes, perhaps trapped in a hazy autumn soundtrack, or elsewhere channeling inner-Broken Social Scene vibes for a Californian temperment. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but as Gingerlys' self-titled progresses through each of its 10 tracks, it's more or less the same.

'Turtledoves', the album's opener and first single, sees the band racing through an introduction as vocalist Jackie Mendoza glides over pop-guitars and an explosive ambiance of reverb at just under three minutes. "You’re not a kid anymore," Mendoza repeats on 'Playgrounds', tapping into the nostalgic thematics Gingerlys presents with their debut. Atmospheres built up of textured summery guitars, a post-punk rhythm section and softly echoing vocals make up this entire project, with the exception of the record's mid-point, 'Let Down', one of their noticeably different songs, due to a call-and-response vocal delivery between Mendoza and guitarist Colin O'Neill, and a slightly held back orchestration of sounds – though the pace isn't that far off from the speeds we've been already introduced to. It's easy to get lost in the haze of songs like 'Mermaids' and '100 Flowers', but just as easily can each song flow right into the next without any creative peaks or interesting highs.

At just over 30-minutes in run time, this album feels like a total breeze. Unfortunately, outside of the album's singles, there just aren't many memorable peaks to make us want to revisit specific cuts that feel distinct. This is an entire project that encourages passive listening, or a few enjoyable singles that can fly on by.

6/10

Words: Kevin Cortez

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