構成数 | 1枚

合計収録時間 | 00:26:32

The first release from Sonny Smith's label Rocks in Your Head Records, Hairdressers from Heaven sees the return of Sonny & the Sunsets following two solo releases from the bandleader (2016's Sees All Knows All and 2018's Rod for Your Love). After a diversion into synthier '80s inspirations on the Merrill Garbus-produced Moods Baby Moods (2016), it re-embraces the eclectic retro rock-, country-, and proto-punk-inspired guitar pop that the Sunsets are best known for. Hairdressers from Heaven was co-produced by another indie heavyweight in the Shins' James Mercer, alongside Shins bandmate Yuuki Matthews, both of whom also play on the album. Thankfully, they retain the group's unrefined, freewheeling spirit while also contributing warm vocal harmonies to several tracks. One of those tracks is the hooky yet bittersweet "Searchin" ("always searchin'.for something"), an under-three-minute gem that plays like a low-key Marshall Crenshaw. The album's centerpiece, however, is "Someday I'd Like to Be an Artist," which channels a teenaged Smith. A stripped-back ballad built around piano and bass, with violin, woodwinds, spoken-word samples, handclaps, and homespun vocal harmonies, its lyrics include the ultra-quotable "Someday I'd like to be an artist and give myself away." Other selections range from the country-rock tune "Take a Hard Look Down the Long Corridor," to the punky "Drug Lake" and oddball instrumental "A Man Without a Past," which incorporates Arabic and AM pop inspirations. Consistently catchy, self-depreciating, and gratifyingly wry, Hairdressers from Heaven is another reliably worthwhile set from the indie stalwart and a solid launch for the label. ~ Marcy Donelson