This Sunderland/Gateshead band has a new album out in May, and it’s a bewitching delight from start to finish.

And that album is called ‘The Haunted Life of Architecture’ (released 15 May) and its gestation came about after their songwriter Daniel Clifford spent some time in the Welsh countryside, immersing himself in the hill forts, cathedrals and graveyards. It’s an album that references everything from MR James’s ghost stories, to 18th century botanist Mary Delany, to cult 90s TV one-off ‘Ghostwatch’, which may make you think that the release has something of a folk-horror vibe, but there’s no horror here. It’s more pastoral psychedelia, or gothic-alt-pop, or chamber-folk – The Divine Comedy came to mind more than once on first listen. Subsequent listens reveal the smart song structures, the shifting rhythms, and a willingness to be unbound by genre. In short: they’re a band that aims high and hits. They’re launching the album with a gig at Pop Recs in Sunderland on Saturday 16 May with support from Faye MacCalman and Madeleine Smyth. You know what to do (i.e. buy a ticket).

DP Seek: linktr.ee/amateurornithologist