The latest single from David Smith, the principle songwriter/ producer behind Suddenly We Stopped Dreaming, sees SWSD take a purposeful step towards a landscape coloured in with shoegaze soundscapes and claustrophobic themes.

Aiming for a Mazzy Star/alternative kind of indie ambience, ‘I can’t believe it’s you’ ticks all of the appropriate ‘Star boxes with its droning guitars, acoustic undercurrent and swooshing cinematic textures.  

Layered by a further Star box, a central female vocal (guest vocalist/ collaborator Juniper) delivering themes of broken relationships, ‘I can’t’ feels like the perfect set of stabilisers for Smith’s development as a songwriter; it’s competent, technically sound and well produced.

All of which suggests that whilst ‘I can’t’ is a fine piece of work, it may lack it’s own unique voice and may move in circles too similar to previous greats.  There’s real potential here with Smith, the next step surely is to find his own boxes to tick.