Vancouver artist Christopher Smith had carved a notable space in his native Canada for his exquisitely rendered, emotionally bold music, over the course of two solo albums.

In a great leap forward, he's now fronting the five- piece Dralms, which is making inroads overseas with their first European shows and now a towering debut album. 'Shook' is defined by its hypnotic, rich and simmering heart of darkness, its contents are as provocatively elusive as the band's name, yet there are lyrical clues to draw you in.

Beneath the music's deceptively unruffled and dreamy exterior are viscous eddies, which can turn into dangerous riptides when the tension is unleashed.The sound of Dralms, says Smith, "is an assemblage of different inspirations. But it's hard articulating what the influences are." In search of comparisons, reviewers have referenced the likes of Talk Talk, Radiohead, The Antlers, Pink Floyd and Spiritualized, but they can only hint at the indeterminable quality Dralms can have. '

Shook' is a world of emotions and extremes, a compelling and seductive missive.