Pale is the solo dreamgaze project of London-based multi-instrumentalist Christian Lessells. Idols, the gorgeous follow-up to their ethereal 2025 debut Nights, is a stunning continuation of Lessells’ interpretation of these genres - taking the soft haze of dream pop and carefully layering it over a dense, jagged foundation of shoegaze. What results is a stunning mélange of texture, all of which Lessells balances masterfully.
Opener “Fool” is an exhilarating, shadowy expanse, and the bright synth of “Just Come and Get Me” lets the light in immediately after. Comparably more cinematic than Nights, Idols also emphasizes depth and magnitude, heard in the cosmic waves of “She Loves Him,” which flows beautifully into closer “Fade Away,” a diaphanous, waltz-like track with synth that almost seems to shimmer. Ultimately, Idols captures the underlying tone of its namesake - expansive songs that feel as though they have been highlighted by a spotlight, and yet effortlessly retaining an inexplicable sense of intrigue and allure.
