Call it serendipity or just plain stalking, but it’s fitting that Ballet School should end up signed to Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde’s label. The Berlin-based trio are obviously and explicitly in love with their boss’ band, co-opting their dream-pop fuzziness on the hazy ‘Gray’, while singer Rosie Blair shapes ecstatic swooping melodies just like Elizabeth Fraser. Ballet School really come into their own when they apply their pop smarts: ‘Heartbeat Overdrive’ and ‘Cherish’ are gorgeous should’ve-been-hits. If there’s a quibble, it’s an avoidable tendency to let songs drift into overtly tasteful territory, but on point, Ballet School do their heroes proud.
Ballet School – ‘The Dew Lasts An Hour’
Words by Matthew Horton
