The Orchids Dreaming Kind LP

The long-awaited album from the best pop band in Scotland... The Orchids were making sophisticated pop music right back in the early 1990s when Sarah Records first started. Their songs were as emotionally pure as anything else on that label, but they were always a step ahead of their peers in terms of song arrangements and musical ambition. With a casual, unpretentious air they made writing perfect pop songs seem easy, almost accidental, and several great releases followed. The Orchids gained a passionate following: people knew a good thing when they heard it and they hugged it close. But maybe now it's time for the rest of the world to be let in on the secret. The songs themselves are a beautiful mix of strength and gentleness. They wrap you in a powerful embrace, making you feel comfortable and secure - and then whisper their insecurities and anxieties into your ear.

Since the re-formed Orchids found their stride with 2020's The Lost Star, they've sounded just as unbeatable as they did in their initial incarnation...2022's Dreaming Kind...features all the things that make the band so great: James Hackett's yearning vocals, John Scally's wonderfully meandering guitar melodies, Ian Carmichael's nimble production style, and above all, the breathtaking songs that capture the beauty and sadness of life. As always, their music has a mix of fragility and resilience, and it's made brilliant through performances that are almost painfully tender while at the same time being oddly uplifting. Sometimes there's nothing more heartwarming than singing out your sadness at the top of your lungs, and the Orchids have again provided a soundtrack for just such an experience....Groups who can truly capture the real feelings of love and life while wrapping them in pretty melodies are few and far between; the Orchids are one of them, and Dreaming Kind is the band at their heartbreaking, heartwarming best.