Foxygen's Sam France and
Jonathan Rado were recording their fifth album for Jagjaguwar,
Seeing Other People, as they approached the age of 30. At the same time, the pair were making some major lifestyle changes involving partying and tour life, prompting France to refer to
Seeing Other People as "our adult contemporary album." While not exactly that,
Seeing Other People does stick more closely to traditional pop song forms while incorporating prominent synths and a funkier, more refined approach to their sound; it slides their typical myriad vintage reference points from the '60s and '70s into the '70s and '80s. As if to underscore this, they brought in legendary session drummer Jim Keltner (solo
Beatles,
Steely Dan) on select tracks. The self-produced album was engineered and mixed by Shawn Everett, whose long list of credits includes albums by
Julian Casablancas & the Voidz and
Weezer.
Following as it does the "spectacular spectacular" quality of the orchestra-accompanied
Hang,
Seeing Other People nonetheless feels like a return to the strutting rock & roll spirit of the band's earlier albums, though they effectively bridge the worlds of rock and adult contemporary with songs like the
Springsteen-esque "The Thing Is," whose keyboard riffs channel 1980's "Hungry Heart." Its lyrics lament being lonely (despite being cool). Mellower tracks include the almost-earnest "Livin' a Lie," whose arrangement includes strings and Rhodes, and the synth-heavy "Mona." An anxious set overall, the nostalgic "Face the Facts" looks back on ships that have sailed ("You're never gonna be a famous rock & roller"). Wonky synth interjections are part of its oddball disco vibe. Elsewhere, "Work" is more in the vein of college rock, and "Flag at Half-Mast" comes the nearest to referencing
the Stones, albeit
Tattoo You-era
Stones. The album closes with break-up song "The Conclusion," a mumbling funk coda that decides "We should just be friends." Though France warded off rumors of a band breakup prior to the album's release, it's clear that
Foxygen is moving on from the past in dramatic fashion with an album that's part formal complaint and part kiss-off. ~ Marcy Donelson