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Jan 30, 2014 Web Exclusive By Dan Lucas

William Doyle first came to attention in the U.K. as the frontman of a Britpop revivalist band called Doyle and the Fourfathers (oddly, this name was retained even when the band was reduced to a trio). While their single “Welcome to Austerity” received some airplay, the band never seemed destined to last; their sound too reminiscent of one of those bands that once had a top-75 “hit” in the U.K. charts circa 1994 while trying to sound like Pulp.

East India Youth is Doyle’s latest project: a solo album under a new name that was chosen to separate this music from the old in the minds of the listener. In truth such a move was unnecessary, such is the change in sonic direction. “You may be moving at glacial paces but you’re not melting” he sings on “Dripping Down”—one of the few tracks here with a vocal—and this describes his chilled brand of electronica perfectly.

This isn’t to say that the album lacks heart. The likes of “Dripping Down” and “Heaven, How Long” (taken from last years’ Hostel EP) take the chilled club anthem template and imbue it with a soft, nostalgic vocal. Far from being one-paced though, the album is punctuated with the four parts of the title track, which sloop confidently from throbbing, ominous bassy beeps to Caribou-esque glitchiness.

For someone who spent several years making strummable, outdated indie pop, the aptitude with which Doyle takes on euphoric post-dance electronica is stunning. This is only exaggerated when you consider that it’s a bedroom project with production that sounds like it could have come from Pet Shop Boys. It’s a rare album in this genre that blends relaxation with excitement so perfectly, that stays cool without ever being aloof or dragging. With any luck, East India Youth is destined to last. (www.soundcloud.com/east-india-youth)

Author rating: 8.5/10