Poolside | Pacific Standard Time
If Studio 54 was an L.A. beach club.
“Daytime Disco” shouldn’t be a legitimate genre title that works. It just shouldn’t.
But on Poolside’s debut “Pacific Standard Time,” it’s right on.
The 72-minute, 16 track record seems to run a bit long, unless you’re actually lounging poolside; the album melts into one long laidback California groove. Standout tracks including the Neil Young cover of “Harvest Moon” break up the flow of the ‘70s-inspired keyboard, synths and basslines with xylophone riffs layered on top. Soft falsetto vocals and harmonies recall the BeeGees without feeling dated.
The beats are obviously Poolside’s focus, but lyrics like “Don’t move so fast / Slow down / Let this feeling last / Relax / It’s alright” only drive the lazy beach day disco theme further home…or to the beach.
Recommended If You Like: Neon Indian, Caribou, summer
By Marissa Cetin
Nude Beach | II
New York three-piece plays a brand of rock that is instantly familiar yet surprisingly fresh.
Nude Beach write the type of music you would expect of a band sporting a retro greaser look on their front album cover. Their songs are melodic, punchy bursts of energy that owe more to pop than they do punk, yet they have an undeniable toughness about them.
The material has such a classic sound that it often feels familiar even upon first listen, and that’s probably how the band intended it to be. Tracks such as “Radio” and “Cathedral Echoes” certainly wear their influences (Elvis Costello, The Replacements) on their sleeves, but the melodies and tight songwriting make up for any lack of originality.
Even if it’s been done a thousand times before, Nude Beach’s brand of power-pop meets punk is simply too likable to resist, and it results in one of the most feel-good albums of the year.
RIYL: Elvis Costello, The Replacements, The Gaslight Anthem
By Cameron Meindl
Eternal Summers | Correct Behavior
Eternal Summers delivers fuzzy pop with youthful exuberance and charm — and a serious punk edge.
The first track of dream-punk band Eternal Summer’s “Correct Behavior” is deceiving. “Millions” is a perfect summer pop song with anthemic riffs and sweet vocals.
“Correct Behavior” is much more then sunny hooks, with creepy distortion, cacophonous drums and a dark punk aura setting Eternal Summers apart from easy comparisons like Best Coast or Dum Dum Girls.
Nicole Yun’s voice has that same clear and effortless quality as other garage rock frontwomen, but on songs like “You Kill” she stretches her range to its breaking point with electrifying results.
Drummer Daniel Cundiff takes a turn doing vocals on “Girls in the City,” in a turn reminiscent of a spoken-sung Veltet Underground track. It’s followed by the stormy “Heaven and Hell” where Yun proclaims, “Death itself will die” as the drums vacillate from hard to soft.
Lyrically, “Correct Behavior” is a perfect encapsulation of the summer between high school and college when you’re still confined in your parent’s house with freedom only weeks away. It’s a reflection of their sound: rebellious and carefree, but a little cynical and dark. It’s about facing the harsh reality that summer doesn’t last forever.
RIYL: Orange Juice, Grass Widow, The Raincoats, Crocodiles
By Emily White
