Following 2016's
Adult Contemporaries, their well-received full-length debut, the sibling duo of
Christoph and Anton Hochheim (
the Pains of Being Pure at Heart,
the Depreciation Guild,
Beach Fossils) mercifully rebranded from
Ablebody to
Always You in 2020. They double down on that album's updated, dreamy take on 1980s U.K. new wave/sophisti-pop -- think
Prefab Sprout,
China Crisis,
the Dream Academy -- on their second album and
Always You debut,
Bloom off the Rose. Produced by the convention-bending
Jerry Paper, it also doubles as their debut for Shelflife and Discos de Kirlian. A wistful keyboard-and-bass prelude, "Intro," which leans more into the late '60s and '70s, settles listeners into a mental comfy window seat before the glistening "Black City Nights" picks up the tempo and drive without leaving the pillowy upholstery and partly cloudy view behind. Ringing synths, extended chords, and melodic guitar lines are all part of the design of the song and album as a whole. Their stylistic influences are further evoked with the L.A. natives' non-rhotic,
Neil Tennant-esque vocal delivery, which recites world-weary lyrics like "Five weeks with that twitch in your eye/You're staring at the mirror but you're still just an ordinary guy/Slim chance, but you'll give it a try" with a certain sage acceptance. The track's closing sax solo and harmonized ahs additionally pay musical tribute. Elsewhere, tracks like "Hold Out" and "She's My Kind of Girl" adopt a subtle Brazilian hue, while stand-out song "Rio de Janeiro" makes the inspiration explicit. Featuring one of the album's more-adventurous melodies, that song reaches deep into
Prefab Sprout's
Steve McQueen toolbox for a catchy, sentimental entry that remembers a fallen companion. Despite the album's very consistent palette, it's remarkably varied, with tracks like the woozy "Sanguine Charade" and syncopated "Have It Your Way" holding attention while continuing to comfort. ~ Marcy Donelson