Philadelphia-based dream pop outfit
Suburban Living
return with
Almost Paradise
, their sophomore LP and first for
6131 Records
. An outgrowth of the bedroom project begun in Virginia Beach by bandleader
Wesley Bunch
,
became a more collaborative affair in the City of Brotherly Love with the addition of guitarist
Chris Radwanski
, bassist
Peter Pantina
, and drummer
Michael Cammarata
. Their self-titled 2015 debut showed an affinity for pleasantly melodic, shoegazing pop with hints of downcast Twin Peaks-inspired lushness. Recorded and mixed by
Jeff Zeigler
(
the War on Drugs
Kurt Vile
),
acts as a logical sequel, building on the band's dense guitar pop with additional synth layers and more robust production values. Their jangling, heavily-chorused guitars and dreamy synth lines have a distinctly late-80's, 120 Minutes-era alt-pop flavor with shades of
the Cure
and
Cocteau Twins
being most apparent. Laid back tunes like "Once/Twice," "Lovely Times," and "Jenny's Song" are pleasing in their hazy, edge-of-sleep kind of way, capturing the tone and feel of benchmark albums like
Disintegration
Heaven or Las Vegas
. ~ Timothy Monger