Special Friend - Wait Until The Flames Come Rushing In (2023)

Paris-based American/French indie-rock duo Special Friend – Erica Ashleson (drums, vocals) and Guillaume Siracusa (guitar, vocals) – don’t give up their secrets easily. Their dreamy and mysterious sophomore LP Wait Until The Flames Come Rushing In immediately intrigues, but it takes several listens to really appreciate what they bring to the table here. You get ten captivating indie pop songs that gain tension thanks to influences from shoegaze, garage rock, jangle pop and slowcore. In every respect this is about harmony in perfection, where the vocals are in sync and the instruments revolve around each other, while clarity and distortion, soft and loud and French and English alternate.