Somewhere between shoe-gaze and surf sits Candy Claws, a Fort Collins dream-pop band that has garnered national attention with their recent tour and newest record Hidden Lands.

Similar to the group’s previous record In the Dream of the Sea Life, the new disc was inspired, in part, by a book: Richard M. Ketchum’s The Secret Life of the Forest. I used the phrase “in part,” because the band’s own personal experiences living on the cusp of the Rocky Mountains also had a role to play in inspiring a record full of ambient dreamscapes and ethereal melody.

Hidden Lands is one of those records that can be approached in two ways: active listening or passive enjoyment. At the time of this review I have listened to this album at least 7 or 8 times and each experience has been different. Initially it was all fresh; previously unknown sounds floated through the room. Upon repeat listening I became cognizant of the whispery lyrics and finer details.

A certain ebb and flow winds its way through the songs; some are long, slow considerations of time (“In the Deep Time”) while others pulse with the life of natural things such as sunlight or trees (“Sunbeam Show” and several others).

In the end, there are certain tracks that stand out for one reason or another. “Sunbeam Show” has its majestic chorus theme and “The Breathing Fire” has spacey synth and surf beats that sound  like The X-Files meets Pet Sounds. “Sun Arrow” rounds out my shortlist of best tracks on Hidden Lands because it has a great part where plucked strings transition into fuzzed out guitar.

Hidden Lands comes out August 3 via twosyllable records. CD and LP versions of the album can be pre-ordered via the twosyllable webstore and the track “Sunbeam Show” can be streamed/downloaded below (via P4K). For more Candy Claws click here.