What A Delight: 'If Heaven Looks a Little Like this'

After forming in 2017, Manchester based Delights have released their debut album 'If Heaven Looks A Little Like This', and it’s everything an indie pop lover could want and more.

Whilst indie is what the five-piece have gained a name for themselves with, the album, with years in the making, gives a nod to a variety of different genres. There’s funk, there’s psychedelic vibes, it’s popp-y, it’s got soul and it just works.

The album’s opening track ‘Silk Skin’, is one of the more chill songs on the record, which perfectly opens up the journey that ‘If Heaven Looks a Little Like This’ is about to take listeners on. For an opener, the melody flawlessly entwines with the lyricism, which touches on the general frustrations of a relationship and the idea of not knowing what the other person is thinking, such as "Things are getting me frustrated" and "D’you think about it too?" . These lyrics work well in leading onto the next song on the album ‘What’s On Your Mind’, which brings in an upping of the tempo and begins to show the variety of sound the band had in the creation of their work. 

‘Two Times Over’ - the first single from the album and the song that influenced the album name. It has a distinct early-2000s indie sound to it, with sounds comparable to the likes of Hard-Fi and Klaxons. The track sounds like it will translate live exceptionally well and is sure to be a fan favourite. 

The second half of “If Heaven Looks A Little Like This” continues the different genre journey Delights are taking listeners on. ‘And it Goes’ is another stand out track on the album, also distinguishing more of that early-2000s indie sound, but also weaving in some classic rock, heavy on the guitar riffs and drums. ‘Hotel Lobby’ and single ‘Hotel Bar’ once again demonstrate the talent the band have for varying sound. The instrumental of ‘Hotel Lobby’ is where listeners begin to hear an electronic/funk sound and is the ultimate opening to the following track. ‘Hotel Bar’, one of the strongest songs on the album, taps into the funk/indie sound following on from those such as Parcels and Hot Chip. Making such a diverse mix of genres work on different tracks on an album is not an easy task, but Delights make it look (and sound) easy and every track is an ode to their skill in doing so. 

The final track on the album ‘Adore Her’ has a sound similar to the opening number, that strips the project back to a slower tempo and closes the album with an acoustic sound. Choosing to end the album with this song allows for listeners to go full circle, which leads on to the point of how well the track ordering works. It flows extremely well and allows for all sounds and genres to incorporate completely.

As far as debut albums go, ‘If Heaven Looks A Little Like This’ couldn’t be made much better. The record taps into so many variations of style, with lyricism that coincides with the genres, riffs and melodies so incredibly well. It quite obviously demonstrates the influence that music has had on the band, with influences from their hometown of Manchester, from indie, to pop, to funk and soul, -  it really is a perfectly crafted album. 

Neve Pomfrey

@nevepomfreyy

Image: 'If Heaven Looks A Little Like This' Official Album Cover

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