Coco Koop

Coco Koop’s Try is a set of expertly demure dream pop full of sophistication and skill. Absent are any tricks or gimmicks – no squall of reverb or fuzzy distortion, no jangling delay or electronic blips. Instead, we hear straight-ahead rhythms and humble synthesizers working their magic the old-fashioned way: good songwriting and intentional instrumentation. Focusing on restraint and mood, Coco Koop builds its songs layer by layer until its impact has somehow snuck up on you, stolen you away, and left you somewhere you didn’t expect. 

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Try doesn’t reveal a scope of vision so much as it showcases a mastery of one. This is dream pop through and through. Layered synths and drifting guitars create a downy expanse for the singer’s feathery vocals, which sit admirably alongside the genre giants like Beach House and Chromatics. While there’s a bit of variation from song to song (“Try” pushes the tempo, while “the Seeker” leans into programmed percussion a las elder statesmen Depeche Mode or Tears for Fears), the throughline is a blissfully introspective mood made possible by the minor keys and lush soundscapes.

 

Another easily overlooked aspect to this music is its dynamic reach. The instruments are balanced and the tempos steady throughout. Without succumbing to pummeling drums or overwhelming guitars like much of the current shoegaze revival, Coco Koop still manages to write songs that evolve and resolve, using melodic juxtaposition and discord to develop tension. 

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While dream pop offers avenues toward earworms and melody, Coco Koop’s approach of steady, sturdy mood-building proves equally successful. Lush and lovely from start to finish, Try is a memorable encapsulation of artists working in a mode they make work for them.