Gothenburg, Sweden's
the Sun Days -- not to be confused with the English dream pop band
the Sundays -- prove themselves to be suitably named on their questionably titled debut LP,
Album, by presenting brightly melodic, beach-friendly indie pop. Steered by the limber vocals of singer (and professional model) Elsa Fredriksson Holmgren, the quintet does resemble the female-led U.K. group in more ways than one, also sharing a reverb-defined guitar sound. They separate themselves with a notably happy-go-lucky energy that casts aside melancholy for empowerment ("Do what you want in life," "You don't need to be them"). Overlapping syncopated guitar lines, skipping drums, and melodic bass underscore the effervescent "You Can't Make Me Make Up My Mind," which also has Holmgren being flirtatiously indecisive. Dueling guitars surface on "Come Have Me Over" as well, but offer fleeting moments of dissonance while a soaring melody tries to convince an object of affection that he's the lucky one. The likewise jangly "Busy People" obscures darker lyrics, including reference to a suicide attempt and questioning what life should be all about, as glistening guitar tones and a skittering snare keep the energy high and infuse the song with a sense of hopefulness. The album flies by quickly with eight compact tracks, and the songs do begin to seep into one another in the second half since they're all similar in tone, tempo, arrangement, and often key. But the formula is a good one, creating an album packed with warm, catchy, could-be songs of summer. ~ Marcy Donelson