Japanese shoegazers Taffy return with their new studio album Lull on January 24th via Club AC30. The LP marks the band’s first release since their 2019 album ‘Deep Dark Creep Love’.

Taffy came together in 2011, and has built a big following in Japan and the UK, with their sound being compared to the sounds of Ride, Lush, and Slowdive. The band has been able to incorporate those influences into their own unique sound, gaining numerous fans along the way, including The Charlatan’s Tim Burgess.

Lull marks the first material from the band with new guitarist Rio Kato, who brings his own unique, inimitable style to the taffy sound. “He’s great at playing almost any style we choose, yet he has his own approach which turned out perfectly throughout the album. We have the usual taffy gems along with Rio’s style, so it’s taffy but kind of new taffy! I feel that this album is sensitive but quietly powerful,” says vocalist and guitarist Iris.

The new album is the result of the coronavirus pandemic back in 2020. “During covid, we sadly lost some great artists and I myself have lost few of my loved ones. Not being able to meet in person for a long period of time, it felt as though it would go on forever. It made me realise who and what really matters to me. All those mixed emotions and feelings went into each and every one of the songs on the album,” she adds.

On the band’s first new material in six years, Iris continues, “I’ve missed the people, places, things, bands, shows, tours, just every little thing that we used to do and have, but at the same time I’ve also felt that everything and everyone was changing and what kept me going through those tough times were the people who showed love to taffy, so I really wanted to deliver the album as in a way of my appreciation.”

From the sweet, beguiling sounds of album title track ‘lull’ and jangly rhythms of ‘ifonly’, to the mesmeric rumblings of dream pop anthem ‘Colour Me’, taffy display a finely-tuned sense for melody. Elsewhere, the impossibly sweet vocals of lead singer Iris glide effortlessly on the charming ‘Prism 45’ before taffy offer an ethereal mixture of distorted guitars, feedback and volume on a tender cover of R.E.M.’s ‘Hairshirt’.

lull was recorded at Sound Crew Studio, Tokyo with Toshiro Kai, taffy’s “fifth” member, who they have been working with since the band’s debut album ‘Caramel Sunset’, released in 2012. taffy is Iris (vocals and guitars), Ken (drums and chorus), Takeshi (bass and chorus) and Rio (guitar and chorus).

taffy
lull
Tracklisting
AC30

Kiko
lull
shhhhh
ifonly
Colour Me
Five+
Prism 45
Honey Milky Way
Hairshirt

pre-order lull HERE