Back in 2013, Lisbon’s Beautify Junkyards introduced their first full-length album, which was a collection of nine cover versions. The sublime eponymous debut was a statement of intent of sorts.

By showcasing their takes on songs they like from acid folk, electronica, and Tropicalia artists they admire, the band offered us hints as to what to anticipate when they began releasing works of their own writing.

‘Nova,’ due out in September, is BJ’s fifth long player and their third for the Ghost Box label. It picks up right where its predecessor, 2021’s ‘Cosmorama,’ left off in delivering on those promises made by the act’s initial album.

The songs on the record have a siren-like effect, but rather than luring a listener into danger, it’s more like an enrapturing ride through a window into one’s own reveries. The sensual boy-then-girl vocals and the churning, throbbing, spiraling instrumental backing lead one through a mesmerizing listening experience that can make you feel like you’re having a head-tingling underwater voyage.

The subtle electronica feels are effective. Some of it calls to mind the more chill variations of drum n bass sounds many of us were onto in the past. And the electronica-meets-exotica blend is at times reminiscent of acts like Smoke City (their lead vocalist Nina Miranda has sung with Beautify Junkyards at times) or Dots and Loops-era Stereolab.

Founding member Joao Branco Kryon trades off lead vocals with more recent addition Martinez. The male/female variations on similarly mystical themes and hypnotizing atmospheres imbues the album with a pleasing interchange of sonic effects. Paul Weller adds both playing and vocals to one track, and Dorothy Moskowitz of late ‘60s experimental rock cult heroes United States of America closes out the set by leading the band through a half-sung/half-spoken number that makes this listener think of Can’s Malcolm Mooney’s guest appearance on Jane Weaver’s album ‘Modern Kosmology.’

If there’s a critique to be made of the album, it’s that there’s a sameness to the various tracks that makes it a repetitive listen over the course of the 40 or so minutes. It all sounds good, but if you were to desire to cherry pick a track or two for inclusion on a playlist or mix CD, it’s difficult to say what exactly are the standout songs that separate themselves a little from the others. But really that’s a quibble, because the record’s consistency and cohesiveness are also pluses.

Beautify Junkyards made it clear that they were worthy of attention when they unleashed that impressive set of cover versions back in 2013. The ‘Nova’ album shows that, 11 years later, they just keep becoming more compelling over time.

Brian Greene

Beautify Junkyards – ‘Nova’ (Ghost Box Records 2024)