“So Far Away” by Autumn’s Grey Solace

Of all of the dream pop acts who’ve followed in the Cocteau Twins’ footsteps, Autumn’s Grey Solace has been one of the most productive and longest-lived. The Florida-based duo of singer Erin Welton and multi-instrumentalist Scott Ferrell have been conjuring up their ethereal soundscapes for more than two decades, beginning with 2002’s self-released Within the Depths of a Darkened Forest and a subsequent string of albums on the iconic Projekt label.

The duo’s latest album, The Dark Space, is another self-released work, and it’s a testament to their songwriting and arranging acumen that they’ve kept the same trusted formula — i.e., Welton’s angelic voice sighing and drifting over waves of Ferrell’s effects-laden guitars — interesting after all this time.

“So Far Away,” for example, introduces some interesting melodic and tonal shadings amidst the droning guitars. Meanwhile, Welton’s voice is particularly alluring as she implores the object of her affections to whisk her away to far-off lands and distant worlds. The song certainly evokes latter-day Cocteau Twins, but is still impossible to mistake for anyone but Autumn’s Grey Solace.

The Dark Space is currently available on Bandcamp as a digital-only release.