Potpourri First Dance

Last summer, shortly after forming, the Sheffield quartet played the inaugural Bingo Fest. They released their first single, ‘Eisenhower’, on Christmas Day and are poised to unleash their debut album, First Dance, on an unsuspecting world via Bingo Records this month.

While they might be in their infancy as musicians, Potpourri’s sound is very much buried in the past. But while they take several cues from different eras, their relative infancy affords them a curious mystique. As they continue on this voyage of discovery, their sound has flourished and become increasingly assured. Instead of wallowing in nostalgia, the DIY outfit toy with their influences like a cat playing with a ball of string.

First Dance is a little rough around the edges, but the lack of polish only serves to add to its charm. Thoughtful lyricism is delivered through swooning vocals, toe-tapping percussion intermingles with sweeping synths, and a saxophone gently weeps. All these elements combine to produce rich tapestries of delicate, intelligent, angular pop music.

The highlights of First Dance, an album oozing with personality, are the three singles. ‘Eisenhower’ is so catchy you’ll need to wear a mask as you listen, ‘Dearly Departed’ throbs and twitches in mournful refrain before shimmering into a jangly supernatural feast, and new single ‘Postcards’ revels in its own faded glamour, basking in the cool night air.