Last year’s Out From Underneath made me a fan of Montreal’s Prism Shores. It was one of those records that kept growing with every spin. With their new album Softest Attack, they tighten the grip. More immediate, same charm, maybe even stronger.
Think the pop instincts of The Shins, played by people who have studied the Slumberland and Flying Nun catalogs front to back, with a soft spot for ’90s alt-pop and power pop. You get the idea. The RIYL list floating around name-checks favorites like The Tubs, 2nd Grade, Sharp Pins, and The Umbrellas, and that all checks out.
This is guitar-driven pop done right. Big on melody, light on gimmicks. No overproduction, no autotune gloss, no focus-group choruses or algorithm bait. Prism Shores keep it fuzzy and tactile, blending acoustic and electric into something that hits gently but sticks. The songs lift, but they also leave space to breathe. The transition from the Lemonheads-leaning punch of Idle Hands into the hazy, semi-acoustic drift of Magical Thinking is a perfect example of how well they pace this thing.
And the hooks keep coming. Kid Gloves opens with sun-soaked ’90s power pop ease. I Didn’t Mean To Change My Mind could pass for a lost Britpop gem. Precarity leans into Teenage Fanclub territory, while Guidebook brings the jangle. It adds up to a record that feels effortless without ever being slight.
Yes, I am fully in on this one.
Softest Attack is out now on Meritorio Records and Having Fun Records.