After clocking up support slots for the likes of Slaves and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, and releasing a well-received EP, Everything at Once, in early 2020, Brighton-based Thyla – like so many promising young bands – found their rapidly building momentum stopped in its tracks by the pandemic. Things were complicated further, with the departure of their guitarist Mitch Duce in 2021. But as live music continues to make its defiant return, so too have Thyla, with the release of their long-awaited self-titled debut album.

Recorded in a barn in Cornwall – which the band found on Airbnb – the album finds them leaping between genre-spanning influences, with nostalgic elements of dream-pop, new wave, shoegaze and alternative rock. As such, Thyla is a testament to the band’s versatility – with the contrast between loud, thrashing rock (‘Amber Waits’) and sprawling, swirling soundscapes (‘Echo for Ingrid’) lending a cinematic feel to the project.

At its most fearless, this blending of styles pays off, but there’s a sense that Thyla are still on the hunt for a sound that's truly their own. As they continue to expand – with a follow-up LP already en route – we’re looking forward to even bigger and bolder things on the horizon.

7/10