Don't Hang Me Out To Dry: A Brief Review Of The New Album From The High Water Marks (The Apples In Stereo)

Hilarie Sidney, drummer on all the best records from The Apples in Stereo, and co-founder of the Elephant 6 label, is back with a new one. The High Water Marks churn out indie-pop augmented by touches of neo-psychedlia. That should be enough to get you to grab Consult the Oracle and go on this trip with me now.

From the rollicking "Postcard" to the sunny pop styles of "Up to You", the tunes of The High Water Marks have all the complexity of old Apples sides, with a more direct, breezy insistence. While "The Works" has a crunchy hook like an early number from Teenage Fanclub, the lilting "Don't Hang Me Out to Dry" finds Hilarie taking lead vocal duties. There's something about this one that makes me think of Bettie Serveert, but The High Water Marks are more straightforward than that lot. "Strange Things", another highlight here, is the second thing I've heard in recent weeks that made me think of Nineties Brit power poppers Silver Sun. The big, bright hooks here on this one and a few others are really endearing in the same way.

Fans of The Apples in Stereo will likely find this up their alley, though stylistically it's quite different, even with the presence of Hilarie Sidney. Most of Consult the Oracle pleases in a way that will make a listener not recall those Elephant 6 pioneers but the other bands I've mentioned above, or even The Wannadies in spots. Smartly concise, each track brims with the kind of promise that the best indie pop had. Well, I guess that kind of thing can still be done very well in 2025, as evidenced by this record.

Consult the Oracle by The High Water Marks is out now. Details below.

[Photo: The High Water Marks]