Cults is relatively new to the indie pop scene; it's something of a wonderful yet curious rarity these days that a group's dynamic can be described as simply and directly as "indie pop"- so thanks Cults. This is a group that is also fairly new to my own particular arsenal, as I suspect is the case with most burgeoning fans. Furthermore, this is their fist serious tour, which is something I perhaps did not appreciate when I saw them. Since their inception, this is the first time they have exposed real live people to their distinct brand of stylings. I use the term "distinct" with purpose and intent in this case as I do find something compelling and unique about Cults. The best descriptor or reference point I can liken them to is a synthesis of Bats for Lashes and the Brunettes. Front woman Madeline Follin and back up vocalist Brian Oblivion (cool name!) display a personal camaraderie and commitment to each other in a way that reminds of the Brunettes, and the way they use light and fleeting instruments and arrangements to dance just on the edge of darker tones seems like a tactic similar to Bats. Yet the two groups that I use here as reference points for Cults operate on very different poles, so the fact that Cults avoids any discontinuity in their album and on stage seemed so acutely comfortable with the sound they have cultivated is worth praising.
