Reviewed by Ewan Jones

The New Jersey sisters Stephanie, Brianna and Lara Cottingham plus sister-in-law Jill Cottingham who constitute Ortolan, work in the mainstream recording for Daniel Danielson's Sounds Familyre company. This EP is a mixed and mastered version of the four track recording that got the ball rolling on their recording career. The sound is young, vibrant and 'girly' in all the right ways - winsome channeling of the quirkier Beach Boys tracks combines with the sass and playful vocalisation of current popular female artists like Kimya Dawson, Laura Marling and Joanna Newsom. It's all simple guitar riffs, memorable piano motifs and staccato stabs, dense vocal harmonies, hand claps and off-kilter drum beats - a surge of DIY indie garage pop that comes just as that sound is re-discovering favour. Memorable vocal melodies are key to these songs working ("I'll See You There" is in your head like the nursery rhyme you never knew you knew) and "Sand Castles" and "Creatures" feature original and intriguing vocal arrangements that work for the most part. "Me N U" with its refrain of "My darling, please don't go" drives the toms all the way through but I longed for it to open up and really blossom. This teaser is catchy and cute and all the indications are that the talented Ortolan will quickly find a cult fan base.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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