Although their sound hasn't changed significantly since their debut in 2009,
Generationals
bandmates
Grant Widmer
and
Ted Joyner
have found ever more interesting ways to shake up their buoyant indie pop. They released a string of singles compiled as
State Dogs: Singles 2017-2018
and even recorded a whole album straight to tape in Athens, Georgia, that they abandoned in 2021. While that latter album may seem like a loss, the process apparently reinvigorated the duo's chemistry and informed how they approached their seventh studio album, 2023's
Heatherhead
. Recorded in part together at singer
Widmer
's Wisconsin home and later remotely via file-sharing with instrumentalist/producer
Nick Krill
joining in,
brings together all of the textural, bubbly '80s-influenced sounds the pair are known for. The album kicks off with the sparkling, fuzz-tone '60s Motown of "Waking Moment" before transitioning into the summery "Dirt Diamond," a hooky anthem whose Ray Bans and tropical drink atmosphere nicely set the tone for what is to come. From there, they dive into and conjure a blissful '70s horn-driven soul and soft-pop vibe on "Eutropius (Give Me Lies)." Equally evocative moments pop up throughout, including the driving,
New Order
-esque post-punk of "Hard Times for Heatherhead" and the synthy, slow-burn goth ballad "Elena," a hypnotic collaboration with singer
Sarah Jaffe
. Those tracks, as with much of
, feel amazingly like they could have been culled from an '80s
John Hughes
film soundtrack. ~ Matt Collar