Does anyone else remember the relaxed stylings of indie outfits like Tristeza or Sea and Cake? Imagine if those bands were still operating today, only with drum machines instead of traditional “rock” percussion, and you might get something pretty close to the sounds being created by Great Skies. The London artist recently released the Summer Moments EP on the increasingly impressive Cut label, an effort that makes us wonder if 2011 might be the year when chillwave grows up a bit. Sure, a song like “Festival” features some vaguely Balearic melodies paired with some fairly simple drum-machine beats, but it also displays a real level of refinement that’s often absent from the dreck often being turned out by the legions of bedroom beatmakers operating with a similar sound palette. The entire four-song EP is available for free download here.

Festival