<p><span><span><em>- A Shadow</em>, the debut record from Brisbane singer-songwriter <strong>Jaimee Fryer</strong>, is both dazzling and intimate, trading in the indie rock of her band <strong>Major Leagues</strong> -for which she plays guitar- to explore a spellbinding spin on shoegaze. Under the moniker Pool Shop, Fryer examines her life experiences including coming out as queer and contemplating health and morality.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Where her work in Major Leagues leaned towards a jangle-pop akin to <strong>Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever</strong> or <strong>Stone Roses</strong>, <em>A Shadow</em> is distinctly different. For this record, Fryer embraces the cathartic fuzz of <strong>My Bloody Valentine</strong> and <strong>Ride</strong>, with a cinematic twist that has a deep resonance with the work of <strong>Chromatics</strong> and their label <strong>Italians Do It Better</strong>. Bright keys and bass shimmer against the pull of quirky guitars on lead single <em>Kiss the Sky</em>, a track which is as starry-eyed and hopeful as you could wish. Likewise, the ethereal homogenisation of vocals and guitars on <em>Dance On Your Own</em> and <em>Pass Me By</em> feels young and free.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The dream-pop that Fryer explores across <em>A Shadow</em> is some of the most heartwarming music that we’ve heard this year. In part, it’s due to the personal themes and memories that, though difficult, are, in the end, cathartic, forming the record’s eight songs. They’re most present on album opener <em>Coming Out</em>, a reflection on moving past religious pressure to conform, ultimately accepting self-love. It’s a fitting choice that the record’s first track would be what, complexities aside, seems chronologically first too. Similarly, the closing track in <em>A Shadow</em>, <em>Lower Now</em> <em>Lower Now</em> finds Fryer considering the plight of a landlord-ridden city, falling in love when “<em>the heart plays by no rules</em>” and ends the record with a euphoric and uplifting instrumental passage and hope for the future.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>As broad as the musical influences for Pool Shop’s sound are, <em>A Shadow </em>is definitely a Brisbanite. For every <strong>Slowdive</strong> or <strong>Yo La Tengo</strong> moment here, there’s one that recalls <strong>Hatchie</strong> or <strong>Blonde Tongues</strong> (of which bass guitarist <strong>Dougal Morrison</strong> contributed to this record), or the pop of <strong>Holiday Party</strong> and synths of <strong>Cub Sport</strong>. In the final analysis, however, <em>A Shadow </em>may have European and American influences and it’s lyrics and sound may appear irreverently Australian, but Pool Shop’s songwriting and presence across this record make it endearingly universal.</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Sean Tayler.</span></span></p>
<iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=794526279/size=large/bgcol=ff…; seamless><a href="https://poolshopsound.bandcamp.com/album/a-shadow">A Shadow by poolshop</a></iframe>