After releasing two fine indie pop albums full of bouncy jangle and sugary sweetness, Seattle's
Seapony went through some changes on their third album, 2015's
A Vision. They left their label (Hardly Art), added a drummer (Aaron Voros), and did some recording in a real studio (
Jack Endino's Soundhouse). With alterations come fears that the group's sound may have taken a turn for the worse somehow, but a quick spin of the first track proves that didn't happen here. The guitars still jangle and chime gently, their very classic indie pop sound remains light and polite, and vocalist Jen Weidl still sings with a warm and straightforward tenderness that's easy to embrace. The group didn't try to slick up the arrangements or get a super-glossy pro sound here. If anything, they take a step back from the more arranged and noisy approach of 2012's
Falling in favor of something more relaxed and low-key. Most of the songs are anchored firmly in the midtempo range, with acoustic guitar underpinnings and a general feel of lazy summer days and melancholy nights. The guitars, vocals, and drums never break a sweat, mixing together like a sparkling cocktail that goes down very smoothly. Even when they add a bit of guitar fuzz to the mix, like on the peppy "Saw the Light" or the lightly droning "In Heaven," it doesn't break the seal on the mood.
A Vision is the kind of record that works as background music to a cuddle session, or as a friendly shoulder to lean on when you're feeling blue. It's not going to win any awards for being groundbreaking, or knock anyone's socks off, but that's OK. Sometimes it's enough for an album to be a pleasant diversion, and
Seapony have delivered exactly that. ~ Tim Sendra