Toulouse, France-based musicians Daniel Selig and Manon Raupp have been on the road for ten years with their indie pop project Docks. After a string of short-format releases, their first full-length album finally sees the light of day. Naturally, Migjorn revolves around the characteristic blend of slowcore melancholy and dreamy shoegaze, but here they really have the time and space to let their instrumental narratives breathe. Subdued guitars remain the emotional core (with the emphasis on emotional), but flickers of ambient and electronic texture widen the frame.

This record is a patient unfolding of mood and memory, which probably comes into its own best late at night. The nine songs drift between intimacy and surge, mirroring the shifting landscapes that inspired them, while subtle thematic hints linger beneath the surface. Even without words, you feel that this beautiful music reflects loss, resistance, and connection, yet when vocals suddenly appear on track 8, Compass, it hits even harder (anti-authoritarian screaming by the artists’ friends Marilés and Fer: “We have the means, leave them the end”). Ultimately, a sense of fragile optimism prevails.

Migjorn—recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Xavier Nadalis—is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Abréactions Productions, Araki Records, Coeur Sur Toi, Indie or Die, Hidden Bay Records, Ligature, and Tout Doux Records.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp