Last Days of April is primarily the brainchild of singer
Karl Larsson, and judging by the opening summer-breeze pop of "It's on Everything," you get the sense he's been listening to a cross between
the Jayhawks and
Fountains of Wayne. The tune has a light but catchy hook to it as the guitars weave themselves throughout for some fine results. Short and to the point, the group wastes little time padding or buffering the track, instead leaving it as is and getting out while on a sonic high. However, the group shines far better during the mid-tempo, four/four, smart, melodic pop of "Been Here All Time" that recalls pop gurus like
Matthew Sweet,
Velvet Crush, and
Pete Yorn. This is exemplified in the slightly rootsy hue that colors the lovely pop rocker "Tears on Hold" that would fit perfectly on a Swedish pop mixtape along with
Soundtrack of Our Lives and
Shout Out Louds. Here
Larsson briefly takes the song down a sparse, minimal road before bringing it back up again. "If You" takes a bit of a chance as
Larsson delivers the lines in a cramped, hushed manner in the vein of Robert Smith singing "Lullaby." But "Me the Plague" is a full-out, radio-friendly nugget with the alt rock guitars and airtight arrangement, as is the sugar-coated, cavity-inducing "Your Anyone." Fans of
A.C. Newman would also see some fare comparisons, especially on the moody "Want to Go." The finest tracks might be
the Killers-like "Do for Two," and the lovely
New Order-esque "Live the End." ~ Jason MacNeil