The New Lines

Upon first listen, Fall In Line lives up to its title a little too uniformly: the sonic palette of the sophomore album from the New Lines doesn't change much throughout, seemingly running together. Yet, upon further exposure, the 5,000 spirits start peeling back the layers of the onion. First to emerge is the bare structure of their sound: the Byrds-like, jangly guitar of Hewson Chen and the dedication of René Dennis to the Farfisa organ — so glorious it could make Iron Butterfly take off. Then individual tracks begin to break on through the subconscious, distinguishing themselves as complements to a rich history of psychedelic rock, rather than mere derivatives. The sci-fi synth shimmer of "Where the Crow Flies" and the twinkling, stuttering progression of "Sentry on Patrol" sound familiar yet fantastical. "Only the Vulture Knows" is a Magical Mystery Tour of its own, with the intro morphing the flute from "Strawberry Fields Forever" into "I Am The Walrus" country, before the guys take a TARDIS to the dark side of the rainbow. While instrumentally in line with the '60s sonic exploration and camp madness of Pepe Deluxé and Death By Chocolate, the woozy, deadpan vocals of Chen lead the ear towards the post-Altamont melancholy and metropolitan isolation of Nico or Anika, casting a mod shadow over the NYC-based outfit's Nuggets-sweetened psych-pop.