Tree Trunks

★★★ Spirit SLOP. DL/LP

Intelligent pop that wears its ’80s influences well. In 2012, Kindness released World, You Need A Change Of

Mind which offered a romanticised version of the ’80s pop sound. Since then, that decade has become a musical touchstone. London three-piece Tree Trunks explore this territory further with Spirit. There is no shortage of ambition here.

Spirit typifies the inspiration and refreshing lack of snobbery amid streaming culture

– a huge breadth of influences perhaps without the depth of those that went before. Exploring modern love and blending boundaries, it may be difficult for older ears not to become swamped with Tree Trunks’ references, especially when you realise that Nik Kershaw is now a benchmark (The Word), while Girl is almost the whole of Songs From The Big Chair and

Peter Gabriel 4 in one track. However, it is far more than the sum of its parts: Spirit shimmers, it swoons, it’s an encouraging debut.