Until The Hunter is the third album brought to us by Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions, a sometime collaboration side-project between the former Mazzy Star vocalist and My Bloody Valentine drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig. Only recording at seven or eight year intervals, The Warm Inventions has served as an occasional creative outlet for both artists’ flights of musical fancy over the years.

The album starts with the nine-minute long ‘Into The Trees’, a slow build up that showcases Sandoval’s haunting vocals. It’s almost uncomfortable to listen to but so perfectly done and totally captivating, it’s like you have no choice but to be fully immersed in the song until she whispers the last “I miss you”. We are then led into ‘The Peasant’, which is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’, but ultimately more beautiful and spaced out. There are also moments in the album where Sandoval seems to take on the voice of a less erratic KatieJane Garside (Daisy Chainsaw, Queen Adreena, Ruby Throat), particularly in ‘A Wonderful Seed’ and ‘I Took A Slip’, in everything from the vocal and lyrical styles and the lingering background voices.

You could probably judge Until The Hunter by the album cover as the majority of the tracks on this album sound the way that the cover artwork suggests they should: pretty, chilled and light. The album could potentially be considered slow but this totally works in its favour and makes for a sultry elegance which is present from start to finish, particularly in ‘Let Me Get There’, in which Sandoval duets with Kurt Vile, and especially in the last track ‘Liquid Lady’ which is probably the best track on the album.

As a finale, it just seems to release all the tension that has been building up throughout the previous tracks. An intoxicating combination of sexy guitars and Sandoval’s smoky voice come together to create an epic climax which finishes the album off perfectly. Until The Hunter is beautiful to listen to from beginning to end. It’s minimal, understated and refreshingly free of anything too complex, but they pull it off so expertly that it doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything at all. Well worth the seven year wait. (7/10) (Jesse Casey)

Listen to Until The Hunter here via Spotify, and tell us what you think below!