★★★★☆

Dappled Cities’ Tim Derricourt has already dipped his toes into side-project waters with the release of two EPs under the moniker Swimwear.

His latest, High Summer, offers up a book-end to the previous Low Summer EP and also celebrates the hot season with some bittersweet dance music via indie-pop sounds.

The songs are not a huge departure from the Dappled Cities style, all sounding like they’ve been orchestrated by someone who has dug through old vinyl recordings by David Bowie and the Pet Shop Boys. ‘Heartbroken’ sounds quite warm and joyful considering the track’s dour title, and gives a good indication of Derricourt’s desire to mix up tone and style. On ‘Great Leaps Forward’, his voice vacillates between a quivering falsetto and a deeper croon over the top of some shimmery beats-driven pop.

‘Closer’ is the EP’s most unique track, where the sound of Django Django is mashed with repetitive computer bleeps and bloops before the piece rapidly diverts towards the beautiful terrain hinted at in New Order’s ‘Elegia’.

High Summer is like that blissful moment just before the bartender calls for last drinks. It’s a relaxed, sweet and gorgeous place where the night feels so grand that it has the potential to go on forever.

Independently released,Swimwear’sHigh Summer is out now and available on Bandcamp.

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