UK duo The Gabys return to the Fruits & Flowers label to deliver more feather-light, homespun recordings in the form of a four song EP. The Gabys create what has been characterized in the Bay Area as “fog pop”—beautiful, spare, slow-moving music, exemplified by the groups Cindy and April Magazine—and add an unexpected brevity to the formula. In addition to short run times, multiple songs feature fade-ins and -outs, suggesting the listener is hearing them in media res; overall, the music has a blink-and-you-miss-it effect, like you’re witnessing the fleeting moments of twilight on an autumn day.

In true fog pop fashion, the elements here are subdued: soft-spoken vocals, barely audible through tape hiss, and instrumentation that can only be described as austere. The melodies waft by, as if the singer is drifting in and out of consciousness. Fragmentary narratives, only occasionally heard, are punctuated by probing questions (“Is this a dream?” and “Do you feel the same?” on Cursed) that remind you to stay engaged, preventing you from fully entering a dream state. The Gabys may have a roundabout way of commanding your attention, but you won’t easily forget these songs once they have it.

The Gabys’ second self-titled EP is out now on Fruits & Flowers.

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