Bedroom pop seems to finally be having it’s moment, so New Zealand artist Lukas Mayo, who records as Pickle Darling, can confidently sit among the likes of Jasmine 4.T and Clairo in capturing the charm of lo-fi, beautifully executed indie pop.
Their fourth album may be, for the most part, hushed and delicate, but it’s through this intimacy that it makes an impact. Mayo writes songs with precise targets, as sweet and unassuming as they sound. Take ‘Congratulations Champion ‘, in which they sing, “I love you like black mould loves the window sill, like oceans love an oil spill”. Leave chocolate box declarations to other, lesser songwriters. These land with a sting.
There’s a lack of conventional routes that so endear. ‘Violence Voyager’ is raw and confessional, and ‘Earthshaped’ is a space age ballad with chiming synth and vulnerabilities laid bare. Field recording and Kraftwerk style bleeps underpin ‘Infinite Trolley’ like an alien musical box. Mayo may sing from their heart, but their eyes are forever skyward, gazing at the blanket of stars, full of hope and good intentions.
Out via September 5th on Father/Daughter.
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