Gabriella Cohen's beautiful guitar-pop is the soundtrack to your summer

Firstly, there’s the sound of the guitars themselves, which are the real wonder of the record – there’s a whole spectrum of tones and styles. Then there’s tonnes of reverb on everything – which cloaks the record in a nostalgic hue, as though every track is a song that you half-remember from a crackling radio sometime in your sunny youth.

Cohen also does a fantastic job of building a mood: take “I Feel So Lonely”, for instance. It’s a heartbroken ballad with choppy Lou Reed chords, an ambling rhythm, and harmonies so sweet they make you reach for insulin.

“Miserable Baby” is Lynchian in its earnest, wide-eyed wonder. To say it evokes the golden age of girl groups would be doing it a disservice, but there’s something eerily Spector-ish about the arrangement.

Other than Parquet Courts’ “Total Football”, the best-titled track this year must go to “Neil Young Goes Crazy”. It’s a smoky, delicate rocker that flowers with bursts of full-blown guitar mayhem that you could see being inspired by Zuma or On the Beach. It’s texturally very complex and is arguably Cohen’s finest arrangement to date – as though she’s found an outlet for her inner guitar-god. Definitely a highlight of the record.

In many ways, Neil Young is a great reference point for Pink Is The Colour. It’s undoubtedly a guitar album but has enough dexterity and diversity in its tracklist to make the big guy jealous. Much like Young’s best works, it’s sepia-toned, sun-bleached, and nostalgic without sounding sappy or glib.

As if by magic, something happens at the end of the record: a hard-left turn from L.A. to New Orleans. From dusty guitar pop of all shapes elsewhere on the record, Cohen grabs our hand and leads us into some hot and heavy tropical psych, where she summons up her inner Lizard Queen to howl like it’s 1967 all over again. The track – “Hi Fidelity” – is one smooth mother, with Doors-sized voodoo grooves, angelic call-and-response vocals, and the audio panning from left to right to sound like waves. Imagine Dr John jamming with Ronnie Spector and you’re close. It’s a marvel, and a perfect way to end the record.

With an album this strong, it’s not a stretch to imagine this being one of the indie favourites this summer. It might even pop up on a few year-end lists too.