There’s a somewhat recent wave of UK musical exports that, despite critical acclaim, haven’t caused another total British Invasion. These bands have too many members, too many influences, and too much formal training cutting through their experimentation. They take post-rock in a different direction, making musical theatre-tinged folk for fans of Steve Albini. Kissing Gate is pared down to a five-piece, which helps, but an eight-minute album opener filled with stomp-clap rehearsal-style cacophony doesn’t indicate intentions of mass appeal. Their debut full-length Funny Dream is triumphant, with the sort of complexity that makes (nearly) 40 minutes feel far shorter.

“New Fires” kicks off with a rootsy classic rock drum fill. “Don’t Make Me” leans into the blues part of the CBGB name—the final B—swaying into something that sounds a bit like “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Beatles. The title track is sauced-up bossa elevator music, and the balladic one-two punch of “Good People” and “Seaweed” showcases reverberant strings, organ hum, and thespian flair. It’s contentiously “too much,” but it’s tender all the while.