Clinic Stars – Only Hinting – Album Review
by Killian Laher

It hasn’t gone unnoticed that so-called dream pop, as practised by quiet, introverted types in the late 80s and early 90s has had a resurgence in recent years.  A mysterious 4AD-obsessed duo from Detroit, Christian Molik and Giovanna Lenski have followed up some impressive EPs with their debut album.

It opens with the relatively brief Kissing Through the Veil, a heavy bass coupled with a weighed down by the world melody.  It falls to the title track to really kick the album into gear –  Lenski’s breathy vocals over gorgeous guitars that Slowdive would be proud of.  It’s very immersive and a real high point of the album.  I Am the Dancer has an ambient beginning with multiple waves of noise, before resolving into a floaty tune to accompany Lenski’s blissed-out vocals.

She Won’t Be is a bit of an epic, starting out calmly before evolving into a Cure-style gloomfest.  This influence continues on the funereal Shiver (Walking Over Time) before the glorious drift of Isn’t It with ‘barely there’ vocals.  For a track where nothing much happens, the pair turn lack of momentum into an art form.  The final track Thoughtless is slightly more upbeat than the rest of it, sounding like waking up the morning after the night before, both singing in union.

While the sound and atmosphere of the album is very much indebted to the likes of Slowdive, it’s an atmosphere that’s very enjoyable.  The album sets a nocturnal mood and stays there for 40 glorious minutes.

Only Hinting