| Artist |
| Dreams Divide |
| Title |
| Puppet Love |
| Format/Cat |
| CD GH1011 |
| Label |
| Glory & Honour |
| Style |
| synthpop |
| Date of review |
| 26th September 2011 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 8.5/10 |
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Released initially as a download-only album (although it was only a matter of time before that changed as it did, of course!), the duo of Dave Crout & Gem Davison here prove they have what it takes to be the next UK synthpop heroes with a debut album full of strong songs which are delivered with confidence & conviction. The advantage of debut albums is that the tracks involved are usually composed over a long period of time which means the artists involved have a large pool to choose from & are thus able to include only their very best pieces; this certainly seems to be the case here as pretty much every track makes its mark & while it's not exactly a unique album it's not easy to spot any similarities with other artists, a touch of And One-style mechanical quirkiness on the pacey 'Complex' being the one possible exception. Elsewhere the slower tracks such as 'John' which kicks off proceedings in fine style, 'Faces' & 'Leaving' all benefit from a very human feel, partly down to the myriad of melodic ideas that show a good ear for complex compositions that keep the pieces flowing, but also due to the fact that both Dave & Gemma are extremely competent vocalists, both possessing versatile voices with plenty of expression & range as they trade phrases throughout & breathe life into these fine songs. The closing 'Fly' is another prime example of this, the epic-sounding chorus being embellished by Dave's equally soaring voice while Gemma makes her mark during the chorus of the aforementioned 'Complex', which is a pacey, surging & inspirational track that really surges along. Indeed the pace picks up noticeably as the album progresses with 'Desire' proving their best bet for dancefloor exposure (although an experienced mixer could no doubt make this even more of a dead cert-just an idea!) with Dave's gritty vocals being contrasted by Gemma's ethereal interjections while the highlight that is 'Wise' is one of those tracks that's so damned catchy you can't help but instantly fall in love with it as the addictive main riff is complimented by some pretty beefy rhythms; all of which makes for a future classic if ever I heard one!!
It's always exciting when a new band comes along with a debut as good as this & the fact that their recent appearance supporting Covenant in London has attracted so much praise proves that it's only a matter of time before they become a well-loved part of the British electronic music scene, it would certainly be no less than they deserve!
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