Frankenstein Bolts - Oblique pop strategies, made in Ireland

The story of Frankenstein Bolts is an atypical Irish tale, a project born within the bedroom walls of Justin Cullen, a musician in love with the poetic fragility of dream-pop and the crystalline reverb of acoustic-pop, two musical strains not exactly typical of the Irish scene.

Cullen's first demos immediately caught the public's attention, and what was initially conceived as a home-recording project shared only online soon became something far more solid and substantial.

Between 2013 and 2014, his producer friend Paul Juggins convinced the young songwriter to put together a proper album, Slow Season, released in the first half of 2014. The ten songs land a decisive blow straight to the heart of the finest pop tradition.

Cullen moves nimbly and freshly within the often-limiting boundaries of dream-pop, yet beneath the apparent uniformity of writing and arrangements there's plenty to unpack and enjoy. The opening notes of "Sleeping Sacks" alone are enough to grasp the full extent of the Irish musician's talent, thanks to a captivating refrain, a dreamy bed of vocals and a touch of shoegaze. The magic repeats on the title track, a melody of crystalline tones and velvety rhythm, a twilight dream-folk piece rich in harmony, graced by a fine guitar solo.

Dreamy and ethereal without ever turning saccharine or melodically overblown, "Old Horse Mind" and "Bad Impressionist" share the same nimble grace found in the work of The Mostar Diving Club: playful indietronic rhythms light up the otherwise hazy harmonies, lending an exotic flavour to the naïve "Love Of Sailing", before "Cusp" strikes the perfect alchemy of harmony and rhythm, with sounds recalling both Field Mice and Lightning Seeds.

A not particularly striking but pleasant "Alone Ranger" and a ballad of understated beauty like "The Wave" round out this first calling card from the Frankenstein Bolts project.

Hailed by the press as one of the great promises of Irish music, the band gradually took on shape and substance. Paul Juggins became a permanent member of the project, and Justin Cullen opened the doors to other musicians, such as bassist and drummer Scott Halliday and Gavin Glass, responsible for the more electro-pop sound of the single "Up To The Root" (2015).

A further lineup change preceded the release of the EP Cinematic Views: this time it was guitarist Dan Comerford (ex-Red Sail) who took on the role of Cullen's alter ego; together the two musicians laid the groundwork for what would become the band's definitive direction.

Folk, dream-pop and gentle synth-pop contaminations still sit at the heart of Frankenstein Bolts' graceful, seemingly unassuming songs.

The sparkling, remarkable refrain of "Anna Seed" showcases the two musicians' songwriting skill: the brisk, playful rhythm, the crystalline shimmer of acoustic guitar and a light digital touch combine to carve out a little folk-pop gem worthy of Belle And Sebastian. The equally inventive "500,000 Green Balloons" offers an equally notable melody, in service of a cool, refined sonic architecture that is decidedly more ambitious and original. The only routine moment on the record is the otherwise pleasant "The Bay", a melodically weak track that fails to match the sweet, delicate charm of "Station Street".

The release of another single, "Lost Shells", recorded with Scott Halliday on percussion and Dan Comerford on electric guitar, doesn't add much to the band's profile, but serves as a prelude to the most adventurous and significant chapter in the Frankenstein Bolts story. The Wexford duo turned to crowdfunding to finance their new project, Aglow & Spark, an album conceived not merely as a collection of songs but as a genuine concept album, at least from a strictly musical standpoint.

The driving sequence of guitar riffs, the pulsing bass, the slight rhythmic exoticism and the dazzling, almost britpop refrain crown "Anatomic Major", the single that preceded the album, as the quintessential perfect pop song, all packed into a mere two minutes and twenty-six seconds.

But Aglow & Spark is far more than a vessel for potential singles. The nearly seven minutes of the opening track, "Land And Water", build into a continuous crescendo of emotion, a groove forged from harsh synth textures, shoegaze flourishes, dream-pop minimalism and a towering wall of sound, opening up new creative reference points and evoking the most memorable pages of Sarah Records.

The second Frankenstein Bolts album is, in short, a genuine masterpiece. Justin and Dan take a decisive step forward in terms of arrangements and songwriting: the tranquil realms of dream-pop haven't been this lush since "Hats" by Blue Nile. Little wonder, then, that "Languages (I Know)" takes a melodically and rhythmically slowburn approach, a gorgeous ballad with a noir allure that shifts the sonic axis firmly towards a refined electronic sound, an alchemy renewed in the even more enigmatic and elegant "Woodshed", a stream of poetic, melancholy romanticism that once again evokes Paul Buchanan.

Aglow & Spark is a tight album, free of rough edges or hesitation: tantalising when it adds the fluidity of soft shoegaze textures to folk-pop graces ("Four Hours"), equally intriguing when it reshuffles the deck of britpop with a breathless whirl of riffs and refrains ("Night Whispering"), and smartly ambitious when it fuses all these stylistic elements – dream-pop, folk, britpop and shoegaze – into an epic, ethereal dream-folk ("Short Term Memory"). The perfection of the Frankenstein Bolts' pop mosaic is confirmed by the two boldest forays into electronics: the elegant synth-disco and funky tones of "The Lonely Hour" and the excellent Beach House-style electro-pop of the memorable "Human Hands", both further proof of Cullen's talent.

But luck, unfortunately, doesn't smile on Frankenstein Bolts. Even the two singles released after the album ("Night Whispering" and "Languages (I Know)") fail to catch on, and more than four years pass before the Irish band's name reappears on Bandcamp.

The new single "Your Father", released in July 2022, marks the arrival of Tom Bates (drums) and Brian Fanning (bass), while also reaffirming Cullen's credentials as a fine pop songwriter. It's a comeback sealed by a new project handled solely through Bandcamp distribution.

At the same time, starting in November, Cullen releases a series of singles recorded entirely alone at home. The picture painted by these songs is decidedly interesting: the sound is less pop and more elaborate, three tracks run past the five-minute mark, and they often need several listens to be fully appreciated.

Decidedly introspective and a far cry from the carefree mood of the two albums released so far, "Heaven" (December 2022) digs into the evolutionary phase of Talk Talk, with a velvety, elegant sonic backdrop that blends keyboards and guitars with impressive, compelling naturalness. Even the more noir textures of the rougher-edged "Dark Hotel" (February 2023) and the wistful candour of the evocative dream-pop ballad "Stronger" (November 2022) remain in the vicinity of a more refined alt-pop.

The guitar bite and vintage keyboard sparkle of "Downtime" (January 2023) don't betray the more complex structure of Cullen's new compositions; conversely, the more springlike, sunny "Flies" (March 2023), in trying to recall the glories of the early days, offers a wistful deja-vu and stands out as one of the less successful songs. The more convincing and endearing "Winning" (April 2023) confirms the author's break with the youthful fervour of his debut: more than a change of direction, it's a genuine evolution that stays true to pop logic, with a sharper focus on emotional depth and romantic, visceral feeling, as confirmed by the excellent ballad "Happyness" (May 2023).

While we wait to see what Justin Cullen and Frankenstein Bolts do next, all that's left is to fully savour the two albums and the various singles released so far, with special attention to Aglow & Spark, a record we can confidently call one of the best Irish pop albums around.

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