According to the press release for Into the Night, the latest EP from The Raveonettes is “a delightfully damaged ode to the letdowns of lost love” and is filled “with dreamy harmonies that only Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo could create.” What is it about Spector girl group vocals and reverb that make them go together so well with bitterness, heartbreak, and the fallout of love that’s gone? In any case, The Raveonettes know it, and they’ve been using it to their advantage for a decade now.

Into the Night’s opening title track features singing of the whispered, dreamy variety underneath layers of Jesus and Mary Chain-esque reverb. In that regard, it’s as good a crash course in The Raveonettes as any, albeit gloomier and more polished than their pre-Raven in the Grave garage-y, sunnier fare. Like “Into the Night”, that harmonies-versus-noise sound is at the core of “Night Comes Out”, except the riffs are less goth and more psychedelic.

With the exception of this subtle psychedelic nod, it’s business as usual for The Raveonettes. “Too Close to Heartbreak” is another lonely hearts lament wrapped in fuzz. It makes for an enjoyable listen, sure, but it doesn’t stray from the formula. Closer “Bad Ghosts” drives the point home that happy endings are for dreams and fiction, and that heartbreak is the way of reality. The way they pile on the repetition and kick up the pace makes the acceptance of this harshness oddly cathartic.

Overall, Into the Night is more of a continuation of Raven in the Grave than a stepping stone towards an upcoming album. There is an undeniable allure to the way The Raveonettes find beauty in the damages of the heart, but after a decade, there needs to be more of a change-up before it all loses its impact.

Essential Tracks: “Night Comes Out”