On their newest outing, Property// weave a vibrating and scintillating album of melancholic dream pop. Fusing the listless and lolling downerism of post-punk vocals with simplified beats, ambient swells, and crystalline guitar and cello, In Contentment, offers a vast pallet of sonic ideas. The sound, fluid and clear, takes inspiration from various places, making nods to classic ambient spaces, neo-folk intonations and modern synthpop energies.
At turns, it brings to mind the styles of Eno, M83, Caribou, and other household names in electronica. On “Cave Town” a lulling synth trip, the shifting sound work evinces the slow side of LCD Soundsystem, while the opening to “Youthless” would not sit at odds on a b-sides by Four Tet. The title track, and this reviewer’s favourite, opens with a swelling drone that develops into a swooning, downtempo offering – music for rainy days and quiet rest; space and processing.
The low, throaty moans of the cello and the repeating dance of the synths perfectly echo the distance and silent hope evoked by the lyrics, which speak centrally about time and memory. These are concepts that circulate through the discography of the band and are deeply embedded in their sound. In Contentment, is an examination of temporality, loss and suture. It is self-described by the band “as a work of mourning and hopefulness” and unfolds just so.
The album’s architecture is dazzling and at times brilliant, and yet somehow, in moments, falls flat. In fact this may be Property//’s biggest weakness; they lack a sound that is consistently or definitively theirs. The talent is present, a clear vision courses through each track, however, the experience feels fragmented. It is a sound that is both rich and spacious, yet undefined by a signature. Shifting through various modes without ever fully coming into it’s own.
Property//, however are a young band with a deft ear and the time, talent and space to further develop their voice and sound. In Contentment is a moving effort that sparkles remotely, as if calling you from another room. It’s elegiac infusions of lyrical wistfulness and slow cadences paint an entrancing world of sadness and catharsis.