With their 2012 album Lucifer, cosmic indie dub duo Peaking Lights peeled back the lo-fi froth that had defined much of their output up until that point, recording in an actual studio and meeting the stoned, formless wandering of their earliest work halfway with the more in-focus pop production of some of their contemporaries. Graduating from home-dubbed cassette releases to high gloss studio recordings is where a lot of indie bands lose that special something that makes them what they are to begin with, but Peaking Lights have managed to retain their identity and even expand on the best elements of their echo-soaked, groove-heavy sound. Cosmic Logic continues this trend, moving further away from submerged sonics and incorporating more beat-minded experiments with bass and rhythm into their dub-pop hybrid. The songs here are endlessly hypnotic, with tracks like "Telephone Call" and "Everyone and Us" building on rudimentary drum machine rhythms and vintage-sounding analog synth basslines, the latter borrowing shamelessly from the celebratory vibe of mid-'80s Madonna hits. "Eyes to the Sea" begins with a rubbery acid bassline, the band dabbling with the classic electro and house influences they first explored on Lucifer. Vocalist Indra Dunis' words are always doused in warbly echo and experimental tape delay, but she manages to deliver more coherent messages throughout Cosmic Logic than ever before. "Breakdown" addresses anxiety in a claustrophobic age and "New Grrrls" tells a very plain story of Dunis' experiences with sexism in the D.Y.I. music scene, as well as acknowledging other figures of punk feminism, name-checking inspirational musicians and activists ranging from Yoko Ono to Angela Davis and even shout outs to "all the Wiccans and Mother Earth herself." Instead of dropping their uniquely dream-like sound for a more accessible presentation, Peaking Lights simply push for greater clarity and articulation on Cosmic Logic, refining their approach but keeping the blurry balance of rhythm and sun-dazed psychedelia. ~ Fred Thomas
