"Lacuna" is a fancy synonym for a gap, something reflected in how
Childhood's music sounds like the 2000s and 2010s never happened. Instead, the band revels in the '90s, offering a shimmering pastiche of Brit-pop and baggy's trippier moments on its debut album.
Lacuna's glistening watercolor guitars, keyboards, and harmonies evoke the likes of
the Stone Roses, pre-
Modern Life Is Rubbish Blur, and even a bit of
Super Furry Animals' more straightforward side, resulting in a dreamy wash of sound.
Childhood has a song called "Chilliad" for a reason -- the band is that epically relaxed. Not surprisingly, former singles make for some of
Lacuna's brightest highlights. Driven by surefire choruses and infectious energy, "Blue Velvet" and "Solemn Skies" show how much structure helps the band live up to its potential to make irresistible pop. Elsewhere, the gorgeously breezy, '60s-via-'90s "You Could Be Different" makes it easy to hear why
Childhood toured with
Temples, while "Pay for Cool" finds them borrowing baggy's fondness for layered percussion with kinetic results. The album's reveries are always pretty -- the aforementioned "Chilliad" and "As I Am"'s tumbling melodies make them standouts -- but often work best when they wash over the listener as on "Tides," where intricate keyboards and beats slowly emerge from its haze. A promising debut with a few flashes of brilliance,
Lacuna is an appealingly summery set of songs despite a few lulls in its energy. ~ Heather Phares