Railcard

Last year Slumberland and Skep Wax issued a collection of out of print EPs from Railcard, a band that featured members of landmark indie pop outfits Dolly Mixture and Heavenly. The band’s pedigrees more than paid out on the EPs, which had disappeared quickly before being scooped up for the collection. The comp was a sort of debut unto itself, but really a staging ground for their proper salvo on Two Steps at a Time. The record revels in the fertile ground of the members’ indie pop pasts, but it leaves behind any sense of ramshackle release or 7” sonics. Doused in a proper deluge of velveteen aesthetics, the record swings wide between ‘60s psych pop like The Free Design or Margo Guryan, complete with horns and tangled harmonies.

There’s a warm, bucolic breeze that feels held over from Rachel Love’s solo arc (which were lovingly reissued recently as well) and moments from “Flannelette” and “Sunday Sun” seem like they could have easily cropped up lost between piles of Francophile cutouts and ‘60s psych pop comp collectibles. Yet, there’s still plenty of room for decades of indie pop itch to show through as well. The band dims the dream for something a bit harder on “I’m a Disaster,” then the soft caress of “1962 Forever” ties a line between early Belle and Sebastian and the literate smirks of Heavenly’s 90s past. Like Heavenly, who keep knocking out modern day classics, Railcard makes the case that the songwriters have plenty more hits to pack out their prime. Two Steps At A Time ties the laces between indie pop’s dreams and the soft-focus ‘60s in ways that many writers, compilers, and collectors have failed to fully capture. It’s a lovely debut, warmed by Summer suns and sunnier strums.

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