The Drifters is the full-length debut of Zooey, the chillout indie pop project of musicians Matthieu Beck and Marie Merlet.

The French couple recorded the album in their London home studio but capture the essence of a balcony with a tranquil seaside view.

Setting the stage with its title, then cover art depicting a lone tepee along a shoreline under scattered clouds, the album's tracks play at least as well together as a single 33-minute excursion than as 11 separate songs.

They are songs, though, and not meandering atmosphere; as soothing and transportive as the record is, structured beats, directional chord progressions, and production touches that keep the ear engaged distinguish it from the blander masses of tropical house.

With a muted attack, melodic electronic percussion opens the first track, "Realise Realise." Beck and Merlet trade vocals on the subdued dance track, whose brisk tempo is offset by mellow synth timbres that evoke lounge.

Standout "Time to Get Alone" offers floaty synth pop with a worthy groove and extended chords that take some unexpected turns (the duo count Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson among their influences).

Perhaps surprisingly, there's also a cover midway through the set.

"The Country Song" is a revision of Bill Callahan's "Let's Move to the Country." Beck and Merlet pay homage to the original's spare strings and guitar with guitar, flute, and keyboard, delivering the vocal melody in wistful unison ("Let's move to the country/Just you and me").

Less engaging but very much in keeping with the mood are two instrumentals, "Jóia" and "Joya," the second of which signals a winding down before a brief quasi-instrumental and the reflective "Marcher la Nuit" close out the album with a preoccupied saunter.

For that matter, the whole LP is not so much a dance album as a swaying one, suited for gentle breezes, martinis, and bubble machines.