The third full-length effort from the San Antonio-based duo,
Perfect Life is awash in Beatlesque musicality and rough-hewn
Everly Brothers-style harmonies. The side project of Erik Sanden and Joe Reyes of Texas art-rock band Buttercup,
Demitasse's intimate acoustic emissions bring to mind the loose indie folk of
Elliott Smith or early
Will Oldham, but treading water above the fray is a keen ear for melody and of an off-kilter sense of humor that suggest the
Cactus Blossoms by way of
Robyn Hitchcock. The pair's third collection of songs in just four years -- in addition to their work with Buttercup -- Sanden and Reyes compose and record fast -- live with one or two takes -- and that unencumbered esthetic can make for some raw moments, both good and bad. Opener "Flamenco" is a lovely but heartsick affair that strikes a tone of extreme isolation -- the duo has stated that the album is an attempt to both assess and assuage the world-weariness of the current zeitgeist. The exceptional and aptly named "Hope in the Dark" provides a stark counterpoint, and that pivot from dark to light weaves its way through the set like a call and response. Whether they're parsing the myriad wreckage of adulthood on songs like "Always Good" and "Coming Out Wrong," or celebrating their heroes and the twin triumphs of creativity ("Little Blonde Boy [For
Kurt Cobain]") and peak athleticism ("Free Solo [For Alex Honnold]"), Sanden and Reyes are doing it instinctively.
Perfect Life is a lot of things. It's heartfelt, rough around the edges, and more than a tad corny at times. However, it's also quietly freewheeling and daringly unassuming, and therein lies its charm. ~ James Christopher Monger