BALLET SCHOOL

Some 4-AD fans were slightly disappointed that Bella Union didn’t became the new home for shoegaze- and ethereal popbands. Founder Simon Raymonde who used to be the bassist from Cocteau Twins took indeed another direction, but with Ballet School it seems like he’s changing things.

On their debut EP Boys Again the Berlin-based band were already compared with The Cure and early Siouxsie & The Banshees and on their first longplayer they are following that route. The voice from Rosie Blair is very similar with Elizabeth Frazer who happens to be her heroine while the guitars remind you of Slowdive-days (or can we just replace that with Raymonde-guitars?)

The songs might remind you of the Cocteaus during the Head Over Heels-period, but the multi nationals that Ballet School are have a sense of pop too. Rosie claims that both Madonna and Whitney Houston were inspirations for the band’s music.

You surely have heard their sound before, especially when you’re a shoegaze fanatic. But even if you know that they just had the chance other shoegazebands didn’t, Ballet School have made an impressive dream pop-album nonetheless!

Didier BECU
21/08/2014