The reissue of Insides' majestic debut album from 1993. If you're not familiar with Euphoria than I wont say I'm surprised. Like Disco Inferno, Seefeel, Pram, Flying Saucer Attack, they represent a small part of that underside, alternative history of the 90s that was almost entirely washed away by Britpop jingoism.
You might consider it some part of the blueprint for what came later with post-rock, though a lot of the bands now considered the pillars of that genre have way more in common with rock convention than Insides and their like-minded kin - this is a new kind of pop.
Taking cues from the post-club paranoia of trip-hop but never quite sitting comfortably within that world, Euphoria displays a sensual, ethereal quality that makes perfect sense of its original release on 4AD. The cascading, ascending guitars are heavily redolent of what Ian Crause was doing in Disco Inferno, almost percussive at times. Yet it's vocalist Kirsty Yates (originally from Coventry, my civic duty dictates I should note) gentle, hypnotic intonations that send this to the heavens.
That it isn't even 4AD who are reissuing this tells you something about just how under-appreciated this album and band are. For what it's worth, if Insides were releasing this for the first time now, you'd be talking album of the year status. I think this record has found its moment.
