Labels: Mexican Summer
Review by: Andy Malcolm
This came out a little way back, but has just been repressed. Mexican Summer is a ludicrously hip label who can get away with charging a kings ransom for their records because people want them, and they sell out fast. Washed Out? Eddy Current Suppression Ring? Real Estate? It’s a veritable parade of cool bands, who are actually any good. Fortunately, they’ve started repressing some of the stuff that really deserves a wider audience.
I am not quite sure that I’d put Pearl Harbor in such elite company based on on this 4 song 12″ alone, but I do know that is an asbolutely cracking record. “Sunburn” opens things up and is one of my favourite songs of 2010, and it does all the usual things on indie records that I enjoy of late. It shimmers in the heat haze, an ice cream dream of a track, flat on your back staring at a clear blue sky. Dual female vocals barely intrude on your pleasant day, they’re obvious enough for you to be aware of their presence but that’s about it. Such a simple song, and such a wonderful one too. They follow it with the other hit of the record, “Luv Goon”, which bumps into earshot with 80s sounding drumming, probably a drum machine (that shit’s cool at the moment), and muddles up the dream pop vocals with bored C86 girl vocals. Works for me, as usual. Shit. This is just lovely stuff, I am totally enchanted. Listening on headphones, I get a real feel for the warm basslines that subtly propel these songs along, they are almost hidden in the background but you have to know that this is one of the vital components even if you don’t notice it that much. Flipping over for “High Road”, you get a slightly more bummed out sound, crawling along, stumbling, just barely going somewhere. Still good shit though. We wind up on “M.L.O.” with the tide coming in, time to go home. Seems more downbeat than the blissed out first side of the record, with that killer bass taking a leading role.
I like this more with every listen. Golden music for a hopefully golden summer.