Gem Club

“Breakers”
from the album Breakers
2011
iTunes

With the title track of their debut record, due September 27 on Hardly Art, Boston-area dream-pop duo Gem Club manage to separate themselves from contemporaries such as Memoryhouse and Wild Nothing with a decidedly minimal take on dream pop. “Breakers” surrounds its dominant, solemn piano line with a considerable amount of space; the song’s palpable ache echoes and dissipates into the atmosphere with each note. Underpinning the piano is some string work reminiscent of Dirty Three and a low-key vocal performance. Where other bands may have drenched “Breakers” in effects and extra instrumentation, Gem Club allow the song’s principal components plenty of breathing room.

Of course, that breathing room means certain moments stand out when they might otherwise have faded into the background. One such moment occurs a minute and a half into “Breakers,” when delicate chimes enter the fray. Although each chime lingers for only an instant, collectively they are redolent of simple childhood tunes, the kind you might hear coming from an ice cream truck. This evocative sequence combines nicely with the hazy atmosphere Gem Club cultivates throughout “Breakers,” giving it the feel of a memory that has slipped just out of reach.