Almost Paradise

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, Suburban Living 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), Almost Paradise 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 and Heaven or Las Vegas. ~ Timothy Monger