Though it was announced recently that Vivian Girls have dismantled and will no longer play as the shoegazey threesome, there are a number of brilliant musicians who have been ably keeping up the rear and are ready to fill that gap. Whether you've been in tune with Frankie Cosmos's prolificacy or you've stayed aware of Keel Her's lo-fi pop mastery, you'll take solace in knowing that these young women are out there—and are finally culling their treasures into tightly-packed, practically “greatest hits” records.
Today we have a premiere of Keel Her's second single, “Roswell”, which comes from her forthcoming debut record, and follows up the tremendous “Don't Look At Me”. Rose Keeler-Schäffeler is an expert at making dreamy, gauzy numbers that feel as close as a well-wrapped knit blanket, and on “Roswell”, her high-pitched vocals, when they are swathed in echo, are as comforting as a cup of Earl Grey spiked with a touch of whiskey. Of the two tracks, “Roswell” shows Keeler-Schäffeler entering the dreamy realm of Emily Reo, but with a Casiotone for the Painfully Alone ability to know when to break the bubble, and a Cough Cool aptitude for punctuating guitar lines. What makes Keel Her so effective, however, isn't in how she stacks up next to others—her bedroom beauty has an extraterrestrial air that flashes neon green, making the title of this track more than appropriate. Lyrically, this is the greatest of Keel Her's contributions: “I wanna be sucked up by a black hole / and never see anyone again” captures social anxiety and frustration with charm.
Keel Her's self-titled debut, which features 18 cherrypicked tracks from her years of self-releasing, will be out on Critical Heights on February 10 in the UK and February 25 in the States.
