This House: CD

Delirious chatter... clinks of warm cans of beer... Cocteau Twins played at full blast. Lively memories of parties and people live on through This House, the new album from Pale Blue Eyes. The house in question is there on the front cover, the childhood home of the trio’s vocalist and guitarist, Matt Board. Defined by closure and moving on, This House is shaken to its rafters as the band navigate the grief of recent parental loss. Alongside uplifting melodies that dance like no-one’s watching, the album is rich in life-affirming human connections, where music-making becomes a means of recovery. “When Mum died, five years after Dad, there was this charge hanging in the air, connecting each person in the room,” says Matt. “Time stopped. I felt like I momentarily entered an alternative dimension between life and death. Days and weeks later I’d see my family in every corner of the house–all the reminders, ghosts and memories. Then, gradually, it felt like time for a new start, moving on from the house and my amazing parents. ”New track ‘Takes Me Over’ typifies Pale Blue Eyes’ overarching message, ruminating how you can begin to overcome life’s greatest problems through creative output, as Matt explains: “This taps into the feeling you get when life overwhelms you and you become consumed with what’s in front of you–and then seeing a bigger picture. It’s also about embracing, processing and letting go through music making and any artistic or creative process. ”Making music as a means to go on, Pale Blue Eyes’ two albums bookend other significant moments, such as soundtracking the Atmos arts-and-housing project in Totnes (featuring a sound-and-light installation by Brian Eno). There was also the time PBE’s beloved old Citroën blew up between gigs, reinforcing a valuable lesson. “You have to embrace the Berlingo!” says Lucy, rolling out the band’s new motto.