PEAKING LIGHTS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Coyote and Peaking Lights form a perfect pairing on this latest drop of bliss from Is It Balearic? They are artists who are drenched in dub influences and that comes to the fore on this direct collaboration which marries swirling dub with dreamy vocals and ghostly acid arpeggios to bring to mind a serene sunset after a long, hot and lazy day. 'Love Letters' is pure horizontal bliss, 'So Far Away' gets even slower and will drown you in synth succulence and Coyote's dub mix is laden with soothing delays and warm bass that transports you to an exotic world of weed-laced wonderment.

Review: The release of any new Peaking Lights record is cause for celebration, but there's something extra-exciting about The Fifth State of Consciousness, the husband-and-wife duo's sixth studio set. It's colourful, psychedelic, vibrant and unashamedly sunny, offering a thrill-a-minute ride through kaleidoscopic synth-pop, wide-eyed Balearica, humid reggae-pop and hazy, sunrise-friendly goodness. There are few surprises, of course, but a wealth of thoroughly brilliant, emotion-rich, head-in-the-clouds moments. Highlights include the chiming Balearic rush of "Wild Paradise", the early Pet Shop Boys in dub drowsiness of "A Phoenix & A Fish", and the dreamy, wall-of-sound shimmer of "Love Can Move Mountains". In other words, it's the aural equivalent of coming up at dawn on a secluded Californian beach.