Islands—A Sleep & A Forgetting

What is it about Montreal that fosters good music? With the exception of Simple Plan (let’s pretend that never happened), the city has a history of cranking out gems like it’s New York City. Islands, a 6-piece indie pop group founded by Nicholas Thorburn (formerly of the Unicorns), is no exception. A Sleep and A Forgetting is an eclectic collection of road-trippy cuts that speak to loss. Yeah, this is a break-up album, but it’s not whiny by any means—I think we’ve had our fill of that. Thanks, Adele.

Thorburn moved from New York to Los Angeles to make this record. It’s a compliment to SoCal, demonstrating Angelino fluency via beachy guitar, fuzzy keyboard and delicate drumbeats. A Sleep and A Forgetting plays like a Pixies album in that each cut departs from the previous. The record manages to cohere without hinging on a linear progression. Think of it as multiple books in a series instead of a standalone volume.

A Strokes-esque filtered guitar exemplifies the tone in “Can’t Feel My Face.” There’s a sweetness to the song that resembles Fab Moretti’s success with LA-based Little Joy. Come to think of it, the whole record pays tribute to the garage rock revival of the late ‘90s. “Hallways” dials the mood up with jumpy keys, lightheartedly addressing a break-up through memory’s vantage point; there’s no self-pity, just good art rock with a hint of nostalgia.

“Never Go Solo” takes the record to its darkest place—“Hold me just a little bit longer/ That sinking feeling is getting stronger”—but that isn’t saying much, as smooth guitar and warm, multi-layered vocals a la the Beach Boys contrast with the gloomy lyrics. This is a break-up album, but there’s nothing sad about it. Islands balances plaintive wisps of recollection with buoyant instrumentals to create a confident retrospective on a defunct relationship. Here’s to another break-up.

—Andrew Karim