Edgy ethereality is a style that’s au courant in the modern climate of pop music, but Declan Vink is an artist ploughing this particular furrow more impressively than most.

The songs that comprise 2018’s “This Must Be The Place” EP mix delicate vocals with ambient, intoxicating pop swirls – four tracks that draw melancholy into an acoustic embrace, bursting with slow-burning hooks and rich, romantic appeal.

Self-described as a purveyor of “dreampop”, Vink’s style is one too vast and varied to ascribe to a reductive genre, with each song sauntering through a series of emotions as they try out the trends and trappings of modern pop for size.

“You” opens proceedings from a wistful acoustic plain before unfurling into a moving multi-instrumental patchwork whilst the EP’s violin-heavy, Kerouac-referencing title track is suggestive of a restless existence with several opposing influences picked up along the road.

“Falling” is certainly the most chart-ready, its catchy call-and-answer style adding an infectious flourish to a number where Vink’s shy, affectionate vocals are extremely reminiscent of electro-pop superstars Years & Years.

Disparate though the EP may be, what ties it all together is Vink’s gentle delivery and deft understanding of the makeup of a successful pop record, the wider band’s wherewithal to craft music and melodies that touch on various styles but maintain a strict sense of originality.

Effortlessly good.

Declan Vink is a dreampop project originating from Leeds. Beginning as a brother and sister duo, the act has now involved into a four piece. Find out more here and listen to “This Must Be The Place” below.