Sun Shy

Made up of young Portland, Oregon couple Timothy Heller and Jared Ryan Maldonado, Dresses offer up a sticky sweet, meticulously polished set of squeaky clean indie rock on their debut album Sun Shy, dabbling with electronics and party-starting beats as often as they veer away from themes of love and romance to investigate darker ideas. Heller's immaculate, somewhat smoky voice commands the best songs here, starting with the trifecta of the band's strongest material which opens the album. The early morning, acoustic indie folk of "Back to Life," the eerie catchiness of "Blew My Mind," and the jaunty indie-dance bounce of "Sun Shy" are easily the "hits" of the record, offering the best looks at the duo's stylistic range as well as their hookiest melodies and instrumentation. Sleepy but pleasant tunes like "Real People" and "Sticks and Stones" are great examples of Dresses' folkier, less-produced side, with gliding piano and muted acoustics supporting Heller's indie rasp. The deceptively poppy "Friends Are Dead" offers a different perspective than the band's usual wistful, dreamy-eyed fare, with lyrics about nihilistic dreams and struggling with fatalistic impulses. ~ Fred Thomas