La Luz had their formula firmly in place on their debut album, 2013's
It's Alive, and they're a group who've managed to grow and mature without major changes to their aural signature. Their fusion of vintage surf sounds, garage rock, and smart indie pop sounded clever and well-crafted right out of the box, and there's been a certain sense of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" in their subsequent recordings. That said, their third full-length, 2018's
Floating Features, is a step forward from their first two albums, if not an especially dramatic one. Musically,
La Luz sound tighter and more emphatic here, with the performances boasting a bit more muscle,
Alice Sandahl's vintage keyboards taking more chances, and the harmonies revealing more sparkle. Guitarist and songwriter
Shana Cleveland has always believed that surf music doesn't have to be silly or facile, and her lyrics on
Floating Features are intelligent and thoughtful, pondering an unmoored existence in "Cicada," dabbling in West Coast folk-rock tropes on "Mean Dream," and fearing global mortality in "Don't Leave Me Here on the Earth." And
Dan Auerbach of
the Black Keys produced the sessions for
Floating Features, and while his touch is unobtrusive, he does get a more polished and full-bodied sound out of
La Luz.
Cleveland's guitar cuts deeper on these performances,
Marian Li-Pino's drums have more depth, and there's a sense of detail that flatters the performances. If you liked
La Luz before, there's nothing on
Floating Features that's likely to change that, but their craft has gotten stronger and the improved audio helps to make that clear. This album is smart fun from a band that actually makes something fresh out of the sounds of the past, and as long as
La Luz keep doing that, they'll be worth hearing. ~ Mark Deming