Seemingly created somewhere between the bedroom and a morning cup of coffee, the dreamy indie pop of Far Caspian initially enters the ear very gently and then makes its rounds there with delight. The songwriting of the four-piece band from Leeds is characterised by a concise duality: Lyrically dealing with highly personal, introspective themes, the instrumentation and arrangements mostly sound cheerful to slightly cloudy – a contradiction that is not always immediately apparent after the first listen but that then lingers all the longer. Somewhat dazzled by the first rays of sunshine of the day and yet looking forward to everything it might bring, albums such as their debut, ‘Ways To Get Out’ (2021), and ‘The Last Remaining Light’ (2023) therefore seem like relaxed reflections on life, love, and suffering in an ever-accelerating world. But this is more than just appropriate background music to help you unwind from a stressful day or an auditory antidote for insta-hectic people: Far Caspian rediscover the virtues of the sun-loving dream pop of the nineties and transcribe them into the present in a way that is as modest as it is powerful.