In the thick of a sweat-soaked, sun burnt Floridian summer, West Palm Beach’s the band in Heaven have finished their debut full-length record, Caught in a Summer Swell, slated for release on Decades Records, a boutique South Florida label. They will also release the album on cassette with Cheap Miami.

On first listen it is apparent they’ve made a distinct departure from their previous releases, no longer hiding behind curtains of reverb and feedback. Casting aside their guttural shoegaze foundation, they instead meet us with an overall dreamy sound. Sometimes spacey, sometimes catchy, other times noisy, the band in Heaven now holds our attention with a tighter, stronger rhythm section which is then glazed over with a sheen of dreamy, delayed guitars. Male / female vocals trade off throughout the album.The lyrics aren’t hidden, but nothing is on the surface.

With topics that touch on growing pains, family debt, loss of innocence, wistfulness, giving up and letting go, the listener is left with a more deep-seeded sense of both hope and loss.  On the opening track, the band in Heaven references Ray Bradbury in the song “Dandelion Wine” with the line: “Kiss your wrist and ask no one the time / stay up late getting drunk off that Dandelion Wine,” making strong declarations on the timeslessness of youth contrasted with the inevitability of aging.