The Fauns - Lights

It's remarkable to think that four years has passed since The Fauns first evoked a misty-eyed nostalgia with the release of their sparkling, self-titled debut album. A homage to noisepop past, The Fauns captured the spirit of 1991 through fragile psychedelia and uplifting melody.

But if the wait has been long enough to generate a nostalgia of its own, the arrival of much anticipated follow-up, Lights, can finally be greeted with no little cheer.

From uptempo urgency (Let's Go) to spectral spacepop (Seven Hours), the Bristol five-piece have built a breathless collection of instant dreampop classics. No more so than in title track Lights, where Alison Garner's beatific whisper is pierced by glittering, lazer-guided guitar hooks.

And whilst the tempo rises for Ease Down and In Flames, there are moments of delicacy too. 4am offers sleepless intimacy whilst the instrumental Rise proves an absorbing interlude. Bookended by the expectant drone of Point Zero and the tender Give Me Your Love, Lights is as bewitching as it is brooding - a dazzling slice of contemporary shoegaze.

Lights gets a physical release on 2nd December through Invada Records. You can pre-order on CD and vinyl through Invada's website, whilst downloads and advance streams can be heard on Bandcamp.