Prism Cloud

Prism Cloud are a Dallas based 3-piece that play what is essentially indie rock (plus varying amounts of shoe gaze, and punk of the surf or post variety). This is their first EP, and within we find a group of songs that bleed summer. Everything has a very warm feel to it, is very relaxing, and has a pleasing lightheartedness.

First off, the album definitely would benefit from some beefier production, but seeing as this is a DIY sort of project, I can forgive that for a debut EP. Besides that, there are some slight discrepancies with the tightness of the group, perhaps some last minute issues had to go unresolved. These instances aren't glaring but can sort of take me out of the music for a second.

The biggest highlight for me has got to be "Pleaser". The jangly guitars provide a great texture to the song, and the bridge to the ensuing crescendo is quite nice. It's quite a nostalgic song, ready to be featured on a road trip playlist (probably to a beach somewhere). Another point of interest is "Thump Me". It's a fun song, period. A little bit surfy, and a good measure of punk, without losing the band identity.

Honestly, there's no bad song on this thing. Although the album is lacking a certain vitality, it's a good starting off point for a young band, and hopefully will open up some doors for broader horizons. - Zenith Lazerstorm

Dallas Dream Pop/Avant Rockers Collin Pollitt, David Sanchez and Mel Bailey, collectively known as Prism Cloud, have independently released their debut album via Bandcamp. Entitled Golden Star, the six song release contains the sonic landscape of an oscillating overcast day filled with boundless potential and the semantics of actualizing that potential. When asked about the inherent premise of the record, bassist Collin Pollitt replied, “Golden Star revolves around the notion that everybody needs to step outside of comfort zones and utilize opportunities.” This statement is quickly affirmed by the first phrase of the album's opening song “Bogged Down”. “Don’t want to stay inside/I want to go and live my life.” “Bogged Down” is followed by “Pleaser”; another hypnotic groove based song that immediately breaks into a corrosive Starflyer 59-esque wall of sound after a brief soothing stereo bliss of ethereal guitars. “Someday”, a breezy opiate induced drifter of a tune, is definitely a highlight on Golden Star. The dialogue between the dazed, melodic guitars accompanies the comfortably paced rhythm section and transcendental vocal harmonies in a way reminiscent of Real Estate’s 2011 release Days or a more shoegaze tinged Mikal Cronin. The listener’s attention span is abruptly reset by the garage-surf shreddage on “Thump Me”, a song whose existence seems to be the byproduct of booking house shows with Dallas’ infectious art-punks Sealion. The angular rhythms and jangle pop/post-punk tendencies of “Reach” make for an engaging transition into the final track of Golden Star. Luscious seventh chords, a nodding bassline, precise drum patterns, and life affirming whispers… “28 Days” is the auditory equivalent of an elegant smoke while driving forty-five on a reflective rain soaked road: an excellent closing track for a debut release. Listeners will encounter multiple performance quirks throughout the duration of Golden Star. These minor inconsistencies enhance the unrefined greenhorn charm of Prism Cloud’s young musicianship more than they detract from the content. As of now, Golden Star is exclusively available in digital formats through Prism Cloud’s Bandcamp. Local cassette label guru Dallas Distortion Music will be distributing physical copies on the market by winter. For your daily dose of charismatic youthful ambition, give the new Prism Cloud record a listen and catch these guys at their next show. PARTY ON! - Steve Gnash

Prism Cloud, ‘Golden Star’

Collin Pollitt, David Sanchez and Mel Bailey, collectively performing as Dallas-based Prism Cloud, repeatedly fuse lush dreaminess and faint foreboding throughout its superb debut, Golden Star, being released by hip indie label Dallas Distortion Music. Working with producer Britt Robisheaux, Prism Cloud’s aesthetic — a loose, garage-y embrace of shoegaze — lends tracks like Pleaser or the gorgeous Someday a peculiar, unstuck-in-time feel. The past is smoothly updated to the present, making for a smart collection of new songs that feels wonderfully familiar.

Online: facebook.com/prismcloud - Preston Jones

Prism Cloud, like innumerable bands, started in a garage. But instead of plunking around on guitars haphazardly and figuring it out themselves, they pulled from experience with a different genre: classical music.

With this approach, Collin Pollitt and David Sanchez use their broadened perspective to manipulate a seemingly straightforward subset of garage music to make it powerful while retaining a guise of simplicity. What results is a record, Golden Star, that's easily enjoyed but was meticulously crafted with the precision of classically trained musicians.

Prism Cloud also pull from a bevy of indie-rock staples and pare the ideas down using this minimalist framework. Notes of Beach Fossils, Built to Spill and Wild Nothing are all present in their dreamy textures and ambient aesthetic.

The classical component, for Pollitt, speaks to the influence of composers like Beethoven on how he tackles songs. For Sanchez, learning how to traditionally write and understand music was huge, which he eventually applied to a new instrument when he started playing guitar.

Last month they put out Golden Star, a six-song EP that is also their first-ever release. "Pleaser" perfectly captures what the group is going for, a simple mix with reverb-laden guitar and a calm drumbeat. Bending notes ricochet around vocals and echo off the walls, capturing a similar atmosphere to The Moon & Antarctica-era Modest Mouse.

For Sanchez, a massive influence was Beach House, which is hugely evident. He and Pollitt were the only members for the large part of the band's existence, each alternating between bass or guitar. Whichever one brought an idea to the table would usually play guitar with the other supplementing. This variance of songwriting creates a similarly varied collection of tracks on the EP, but not so varied that it's loses a unified focus.

Sanchez approaches his songwriting with a visceral, stream-of-consciousness style. Often, he has to step away from over-thinking a song with his classical training and use unbridled emotion to guide a song. He'll write down collections of words weighing on his mind and form them into lyrics, or he'll just grab his guitar and play the first notes that capture his mood.

Pollitt, on the other hand, will start with a specific idea and branch out to capture the essence of a mood. On "Bogged Down," he aimed to capture the hysteria of cabin fever, of the claustrophobic nature of being trapped indoors. This palpable panic comes out in the incessant guitar strumming throughout the song. "I'll just play anything and treat it like whatever comes out is a sort of Freudian slip," he says. "Whatever comes out is purely subconscious."

Even something as commonplace as going somewhere to eat after practice has led to songs. On one such venture, Sanchez noticed a full moon was out that night and started conjuring up lyrics and ideas for a song. "The moon's alive for 28 days," he says, which is the basis for the EP's last track. Using this inspiration, Sanchez personifies the moon into a being with a limited lifespan and uses it as a vehicle to question mortality.

So far Prism Cloud has just scratched the surface of the Dallas scene, playing Dada and Double Wide, as well as J&J's and Macaroni Island in Denton. With the EP's release, they're looking to ride the momentum into booking more shows at more venues. The moon might only have 28 days to live, but Prism Cloud look like they've got many more ahead of them. - Matt Wood