Both immediate and assured, Part Two from Dublin's I'm Your Vinyl offers listeners a cheerful dose of sunny electro-pop. The second instalment in a series of three preceding the release of a debut album, this lean four-track EP tidily showcases former Autamata man Ken McHugh's synthy production and the smooth vocal talents of Dana Donnelly. The eminently likeable result is a grounded, uncomplicated effort, commendable for its levity and buoyancy.
Upbeat and breezy opener 'Let Me Love You' is most indicative of I'm Your Vinyl's happy-go-lucky style. A head-nodder which ticks most idiosyncratic boxes, shakers, xylophones, handclaps and hints of a theremin are employed with reckless abandon while airy vocals flaunt the song's cutesy subject matter, with Donnelly even accommodating a scat-infused bridge.
The serviceable 'Summer of Love' begins in a different vein, but as acoustic trundling verse gives way to naively bouncy chorus (replete with its infectious, borderline irritating, whistled refrain), it is as though the moody jangly vibe struggles to contain the song's inherent enthusiasm. 'Morning Comes Alive' is in line with the plinky-plonk oeuvre of Irish indie-pop stable Popical Island. Though its agitated and spiky sound is characteristically energetic, the music's jauntiness appears at odds with the measured delivery of its wave-like vocals.
Final track 'Youtopia' is a sweeping, widescreen ode to relationships on which the tempo is dropped while the depth is intensified. Donnelly's soft but insistent voice ably illuminates McHugh's squelchy and glitchy electronic flourishes. Even an initially incongruous Mediterranean sunset outro turns out rather complementary to the electro-pop tone.
On this evidence, I'm Your Vinyl do enough to make their mark. Part Two is the sound of a sunny, bohemian variant of Dublin, conjuring images of a quirky cultural playground full of lazy days and Ikea pastels. Though it could grate on those lacking a similarly kooky disposition, this is a simplistic delight. A promising step for the Dublin duo ahead of their impending album release.
Review by Killian Barry
