From the first handclap on “Mate,” you can tell exactly what Gang Signs are going for. The primal drums, the shadowy and minimalist instrumentation, the interplay between Peter Ricq and Matea Sarenac’s vocals — it’s straight out of the xx’s playbook, but it’s executed so well that it doesn’t matter if we’ve heard it all before. There’s something about this kind of music that’s inherently appealing; it has a tendency to steal you away to a different headspace. The way the guitars cascade upwards and on top of each other, the tension that comes with the repetition of certain lines. It’s all about evoking a certain mood, and the Vancouver trio seem particularly adept at it. “Mate”‘s from their upcoming debut full-length, Geist, and you should listen to it below.

Geist is out 10/2 via File Under: Music.