When My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless was released in 1991, no one could imagine it would take more than two decades for a follow up to the shoegaze classic. After a wait rivalling
Chinese Democracy’s, the indie-rock connoisseurs return with
mbv, a smattering of highly infectious dream-pop picking up right where the band left off. There are no surprises on mbv (unless you consider a shitload of reverb-induced tremolo-picking a surprise). Starting with the caustic strumming of album opener “she found now,” the slowcore godparents run through a precise set of jams expanding on
Loveless’s pro-distortion mission statement. Splicing crystalline riffs with synthesizer-baked rhythms on “who sees you” and album climax “new you”, My Bloody Valentine gives fans a sonic labyrinth with enough layers to last a further 21 years.
