A music group borne out of the influence of the Elephant 6 collective (which music buffs will recognize as the collective associated with Neutral Milk Hotel and The Apples in Stereo), The High Water Marks returns from a 13-year-long hiatus to bring us “Ecstasy Dreams.” A fun display of indie pop-rock with a hint of folk influence, the album serves as a notable addition to the band’s discography.

Formed by Hilarie Sidney and Per Ole Bratset, The High Water Marks gives the impression of being a pet project for the two musicians. Sidney and Bratset co-wrote all the songs, and they take turns providing vocals for each track. Furthermore, the album has a DIY feel, almost to a fault. The mixing is a little muddy in some places, causing the vocals to be lost among the instrumentation. This isn’t enough to ruin the listening experience, but it’s a shame, seeing as Bratset and Sidney provide some interesting, funky lyrics. (The band is reminiscent of They Might Be Giants in this respect, as well as in sound—particularly on “The Trouble With Friends” and “Pepin Le Bref.”)

Also unfortunate is the fact that the band has seemingly lost a little of their experimental flair seen on earlier works (i.e. the “Sirkel” tracks on 2007’s “Polar”). It’s not a necessary component, but its addition would have dampened the uniformity of the album. You could probably play any song off the album and groove to it, but listening to them all in the row leaves you wanting for variety.

Nevertheless, it’s good to see The High Water Marks return. It also appears as though they’re trying to develop their online presence—particularly on their YouTube channel—reaching a new generation of listeners. We’ll have to wait and see what they do next, but I’ll likely find myself returning to this album in the future, even if it’s just for a track or two.

Noah Haynes