Ubi sunt is an old poetic device that translates from Latin to ‘Where are they.’ It is a reflection, usually of ancestors past, but also of the passage of time, changes in culture, and changes in environment. In some ways, it is nostalgia, and we all love nostalgia. In other ways, it is deeper than that, more reflective and sad, recalling past wisdom in the face of current suffering, I think of this not only when I read Beowulf or reflect on my early English Lit classes, but also as an unknown theme in music. I am sure some artists are aware of ubi sunt (for sure The Decemberists are), but it isn’t an easy device to wield, especially when transcending lyricism to melody, harmony, rhythm, and dynamics. One genre seems to live comfortably in this liminal realm of memory and melancholy, however, and that is dream pop.
New Mexico’s Tan Cologne recall the specters of the recent past with ethereal, ambient-informed dream pop. The duo of Marissa Macias and Lauren Green recorded their third LP, Unknown Beyond, in their home while dealing with the loss of family, friends, and familiar spaces. Their previous work took influence from their surrounding landscape, crafting their gossamer soundscapes to match terrain. On Unknown Beyond, they focus instead on more conceptual, intangible themes: dreams, memory, and what traces of light linger behind closed eyelids. These themes unfold through reverb drenched guitars and vocals, electronics and drum machines, as well as acoustic guitars and drums.
Languid rhythms and distant jangling guitars adorn the opening track, “Cool Star” with touches of Mazzy Star and Chris Isaak with softly cooed vocals and lap steel slides. The melody reveals itself like a nightgown trailing a slow descent down opulent stairs in the moonlight. The repetitive rhythms and layers of sound are so easy to get lost in, that the end comes too soon. The instrumental country-tinged waltz, “You Are The Dreamer” is perfectly Lynchian, and easily fills the space at the end of “Cool Star”. This Western influence returns amidst the post-punk shuffle of “Infinity” during a psychedelic breakdown that sounds like a rattlesnake achieving transcendence as it slithers across the rocky desert.
Sonically, all of Unknown Beyond needs to be played loud for full effect. Upbeat songs, like “Eyelids” may be less hazed-out than “Clouds Of Mirrors” or “Angles”, but like any shoegaze-adjacent genre, there is more to uncover through increased volume. You could easily put this record on a lower volume and enjoy it from a kind of lo-fi, ambient soundscape, but cranking it up reveals so much more texture. The sliding of fingers across acoustic guitar strings becomes part of the rhythm and atmosphere of “Spiral Path” like the occasional road sign lit up by headlights on a lonely desert highway.
For all of the lush sounds on this record and the willingness to explore the shoegaze-as-ambient territory of loveliescrushing, I am left wanting more. Their use of repetitive or perhaps looped rhythm guitar and softly guiding backbeat could make a great framework for extended sonic exploration, be it more cinematic crescendos or a krautrock/kosmiche extended shoegaze jam that would make for codas or some more variation to song endings, or adding some fully ambient passages or amplifier hums to transition between tracks. Tan Cologne‘s sound is immersive. When tracks quickly fade out, it is like waking up to shift your sleeping position mid-dream. You quickly go back to dreaming, but there is a little interruption.
Overall, Tan Cologne are a band to watch out for, unafraid to experiment and fashion their own New Mexican flavored dream pop. Unknown Beyond is a slow simmer of a record, full of understated songs that pull you in and wrap you in a fog of introspection, nostalgia, warmth from sunny guitars, and mirages wavering in the soundwaves. This is another great addition to what is shaping up to be a quality year for dream pop.
