Acopia – Acopia LP

Highly recommended for fans of a.s.o., Hysterical Love Project, HTRK, and James K, Acopia is the latest group to emerge from Melbourne/Naarm’s vibrant downtempo / dream pop / trip-hop scene. Compared to their contemporaries Dregs and The Blisks, Acopia seems to function closer to a traditional “band” with guitar, bass, vocals driving most of their songs versus the experimental processing, dubwise effects, sampling, and ambient-leaning sounds of the other groups. Electronics (synthesizers + drum machines) still play a crucial role here though, of course, especially on “This Conversation is Getting Boring,” which sounds like it could’ve been a ’90s chill-out room track if you removed the dreamy vocals.  Overall, there’s a bit more “pop” and polish here to the production, which lends well to singer Kate Durman’s breathy vocals and melancholic songwriting.