On their third album, the L.A.-based band has whipped up a bright sounding disc that is true to its Southern Californian roots. Led by
Darren Rademaker,
the Tyde swirl together a variety of pop strands (power pop, orchestral pop and sunshine pop) with elements of new wave and country rock to create something thoroughly delightful. The infectious album opener "Do It Again Again" surges with a rush of guitar riffs and synth flourishes. This wave of boppy melodies continues through the fuzzy guitar tune "Brock Landers" and the wonderfully hooky "Too Many Kims." The latter is built around
Ann Do Rademaker's frothy synth lines and
Ben Knight's piercing guitar solos. The disc hits its zenith on
the Beach Boys-gone-glam "County Line," an irresistible rave-up referencing the legendary Malibu surf spot. Given the band's name and origin, it's not surprising that a number of their songs deal with the sand and surf. A pair of their more memorable, laid-back tunes (the shimmery "Glassbottom Lights" and the heartfelt love ode "Aloha Breeze") have beach-oriented subject matter. "Aloha Breeze" also benefits from the ethereal pedal steel work of
Dave Scher who used to be a regular bandmember (as well as being part of the spacy country rock outfit the
Beachwood Sparks with bassist
Brent Rademaker).
Darren Rademaker, whose voice has a bit of
Lloyd Cole in it, doesn't just write about beach life. For instance, he skewers aging hipster-hood on "The Lamest Shows," a song that plays out like a
Pavement slow dance number.
Three's Co. makes for perfect listening while driving up a sunny coastline highway or when you just need a little bouncy pop to brighten up your day. [The U.S. release features two remixes: the synth-pop dance version of "Glassbottom Lights" done by
James Figurine (aka
the Postal Service's
Jimmy Tamborello) and a gauzily atmospheric
Nobody remix of "Don't Need a Leash."]