Upstart North East duo Mascara’s Lies are still firmly in the process of building a mythos, but look to put an early capstone on a stellar year of unassuming growth and development with this appropriately-titled and rather gorgeous little gem of a song.
Audiences have been counterintuitively trained to expect unlikely power from a very rich vein of bass and drums duos, but this outfit instead drips with introspection and understandable Zoomer exhaustion, teamed incongruously but smoothly to a dialled-down tone of celebration on this occasion.
Maintaining a timeless indie tradition of scrapbook aesthetics and weary romanticism, the pair unveil sonic surprises for those familiar with their small body of work.
Diving into a ramshackle dream-pop harnessed to a sweet and unexpected guitar flavour, the track even veers close to the music hall of grand British tradition as it builds psychedelic momentum – a surprisingly seaside-centric curiosity.
A decidedly crystalline sky is the limit for Mascara’s Lies and they take the chance to bask in the moment here.
You can listen to ‘2022’ now on all major streaming platforms.
