Vondelpark had us intrigued in 2010, hooked in 2011 and expectant in 2012. ‘Seabed’ took a bit longer to arrive than hoped but after the early guessing games, and two excellent EPs, their debut is the “coming of age” the band hoped it to be. Striking a balance between the restless lo-fi drench of ‘Sauna’, and the dreamy textures that emerged on ‘NYC Stuff And NYC Bags’, this is a beautifully blissed-out record, coloured by minimal rhythms and Lewis Rainsbury’s isolated vocals. The updated ‘California Analog Dream’ is the highlight; a sighing R&B-infused beauty that submerges Vondelpark’s yearning sense of escape in a gossamer haze.
8/10
Words by REEF YOUNIS