Echosmith's 2013 debut album,
Talking Dreams, introduces a group with an unabashedly youthful take on dance-rock -- even though their style pays celebratory tribute to '80s pop music. A band comprised of the four
Sierota siblings, the California-based
Echosmith includes lead singer
Sydney, guitarist/vocalist
Jamie, bassist/vocalist
Noah, and drummer Graham. Working with producer
Mike Elizondo and songwriter Jeffery David, the band's freshman effort is impressively filled out with radio-ready songs that combine
U2's chiming guitars,
Fleetwood Mac's harmonies, and
Killers-style neo-new wave production. In that sense,
Echosmith will also draw favorable comparisons to such similarly inclined acts as
Paramore,
Kitten, and Britain's
Two Door Cinema Club. Cuts like the romantic title track, the sparkling "Let's Love," and the bubbly "Come with Me" are all infectious and smartly produced, and tend to stick in your head long after the album ends. There is a brilliant lightness to these songs -- nothing ever feels too thought-out. While this doesn't lend a ton of depth to the album, with the members of
Echosmith barely in their twenties and lead singer
Sydney just sixteen, it only seems logical to assume that there's room for growth. And based on
Talking Dreams, that growth will be a pleasure to witness. ~ Matt Collar