Jamaica's sophomore album and U.S. debut, 2014's
Ventura, is a fun, often dance-oriented mix of '70s and '80s-influenced melodic soft rock and new wave pop. Clearly cut from the same neo-vintage cloth as their French contemporaries
Phoenix,
Jamaica showcase the talents of
Antoine Hilaire (vocals, guitar) and
Flo Lyonnet (bass, vocals). The album, which started out as a recording project in a rented house on Ventura Boulevard (hence the title) in Los Angeles with producer Peter J. France, was finished in Paris with
Laurent d'Herbécourt, who previously worked on
Phoenix's
Bankrupt! Not surprisingly, there are some similarities between
Phoenix and
Jamaica, with
Hilaire and
Lyonnet clearly sharing a love of vintage soft rock, disco, and electronic music. Essentially, with
Ventura,
Jamaica amp up the '70s and early-'80s influences of their 2010 debut,
No Problem, with a set of immediately catchy songs. "Houdini" sounds something along the lines of
Marc Bolan fronting
ELO, while "All Inclusive" sounds like a combination of
the Fixx and
Player. Similarly, the synth-heavy "Ferris Wheeler" is a romantic anthem perfectly suited for an '80s teen comedy, while cuts like the very
Tubes-esque "Ricky" and the psychotic, video game-ready instrumental "Turbo" reveal
Jamaica's more theatrical, hard-rocking side. Which isn't to say that
Jamaica just sound like a collection of musical influences. On the contrary,
Jamaica have enough of their own quirky likableness and vocal style to always register as a completely unique entity, albeit one that wouldn't sound out of place on late-'70s and early-'80s AM radio.