Gem Club are a young band from Boston, Massachusetts, who describe their sonorous, classically-influenced music as ‘American chamber pop’. Having already stunned fans with their work with the Magik*Magik Orchestra in In Roses, Gem Club once again display their virtuosic handling of strings and piano in ‘Spirit and Decline’. Einaudi-esque, broken piano chords open the track, which also features the cracks and snaps of piano pedals and the lightest touch of reverb. Christopher Barnes’ vocals soar over the repeating piano, while a solo cello line gradually builds into a full, rich string section. If you’re after a quiet, spine-tingling start to 2017, look no further than ‘Spirit and Decline’. - HM