With Summer finally braking the shackles of gloom and rain and covering us in its golden glow, Woods have picked the perfect time to release At Echo Lake. A more glorious and lo-fi collection of pop gems you will not hear this side of picnics in the park. Each track is full of upbeat riffs and glorious tambourines. The only thing that IS missing is cowbell. Everyone knows that more cowbell would make the world a better, and more joyous, please. Anyway, I digress…

Where their previous long-player Songs of Shame felt darker, more brooding and, in places, a shambolic mess of crackling vocals and thrift-shop percussion, At Echo Lake has seen Woods move on. That’s not to say this is a masterfully produced and fully complete masterpiece. But it just feels as though the band have become masters of their own destiny, that they’ve found a system and a voice that suits them. ‘Pick Up’ brings to mind Lou Barlow’s homespun releases, the echoed vocals over simple guitars and the sounds of peeling percussion rambling around in the background. ‘Suffering Season’ though is completely different. It’s pop music, pure and simple. There’s vocal harmonies, skipping rhythms and chunky guitar riffs aplenty. This is Beach Boys territory. I can practically feel the waves licking my feet as I walk across a Californian beach… blissful. ‘Time Fading Lines’ follows this joyous and pop-tastic template. This is great, accomplished and practically perfect pop music.

The rather suspiciously titled ‘From The Horn’ is a darker, chugging beast in comparison. Maybe the overtly sexual references have something to do with it… But its psychedelic guitar, prog-rhythms and playfulness bring to mind Barrett-era Floyd in it’s two minutes of improv. ‘Death Rattles’ continues the darkness with it’s Gothic-noir soundtrack and waling vocals. Proof that Woods are no one-trick pony and a band that can combine the dark with the light, completing the circle of life.

As the eleven tracks barely tickle the half hour mark, this is a record that you find yourself pressing play again almost as soon as it’s finished. It’s varied sounds and upbeat tempo make it a rollicking great ride. A perfect pop record for laying back in the tall grass, the sun kissing your face and letting all your troubles fall away.