An album of mysteriously atmospheric songs, seemingly haunted by otherworldly presences, Creatures of an Hour is an especially fitting title for London-based Still Corners’ debut. The bulk of the record is cloaked in reverb, transporting the listener to a realm that is equal parts hazy dream and surreal nightmare.

The use of such contrasts is one of its key strengths; the band takes elements of more traditional dream-pop in the vein of the Cocteau Twins and introduces subtle and unsettling touches to distort the fantasy they have created. ‘Endless Summer,’ for example, introduces a guitar riff reminiscent of Pornography-era The Cure as a counterpoint to the angelic wisp of vocal and hypnotically repetitive drumbeat, pulling its gorgeous drift in a far darker direction.

Similarly, ‘Into the Trees’ sets Rachel Goswell’s echoic sigh against intermittent propulsions of sinister sounding drums to generate an intriguing tension. As with this track, much of Creatures of an Hour is tremendously evocative, even cinematic; its dark nuances would make for an excellent soundtrack for film noir.The album is exquisitely sequenced, just one of many hints that this debut is the result of much labour and intense thought. The cacophonic climax of ‘Into the Woods’ is followed perfectly by the intimate lullaby of ‘The White Season,’ the movement between the two creating an experience of complete immersion, excluding the chaos from before.

On their first record, then, Still Corners have already proved themselves masters of craftsmanship and atmosphere; however, there is something lacking: experimentation and, occasionally, variation. This is what prevents Creatures of an Hour from being a complete triumph: Still Corners have crafted an intriguing and effective sound, but have yet to explore their talents to their full potential. For now, though, this record is more than promising: it delivers a shimmering beauty that never strays too far from hints of disorder and even terror.