Los Angeles-based pop band Sure Sure currently sits snugly in the space just above underground legend and right before mainstream success. The group is about to embark on a North American tour after releasing its first, self-titled album, but its website still gives their phone number just in case anyone should have “questions, comments, or just want[s] to say hi.”
In 2016, the band’s single “New Biome” garnered plentiful fans on Spotify and has currently racked up more than 2 million listens. The laid-back, fluid feel that defines the hit is prevalent throughout the rest of the band’s first album, which is an outstandingly pleasant listen from start to finish.
Sure Sure is made up of Chris Beachy, Charlie Glick, Kevin Farzad, and Michael Coleman, though their website refers to them as “the boys.” It isn’t easy to create a track list that flawlessly knits together such sunny, feel-good tunes, but the boys are pros.
Sandwiched around the first half of the album are past singles “Koreatown,” and “This Must Be The Place,” along with “New Biome.”
“With my feet on the ground/Head in the sky/It’s okay I know nothing’s wrong,” sings Beachy on “This Must Be The Place,” a spectacular cover of the Talking Heads original, revamping the ’80s hit with the slightly more electronic, stripped-down qualities of current-day indie rock.
The sentiment in that lyric seems to resonate throughout the whole album. The tracks carry other carefree and clever musings with repetitive lines, best when played out of car speakers on a sunny day. “Koreatown” especially fits this mold, with an echoing “Don’t ask why” chorus that can get stuck in your head for hours.
Slower, more reflective standouts include “Foreign Room” and “Solstice Song,” which conjures images of small towns and tight knit friends. These more placid tracks are a perfect leisurely complement to the upbeat ones surrounding them.
The most danceable song on the album, “Hands Up Heads Down,” is a fun and funky detour, sung with a slightly ominous falsetto and accompanied by a thumping bass line.
“Information Machine,” the last track on the record, ends the collection on an almost out-of-character sullen, meditative note. “Hold down the fort for you/Til you walk out of hell,” they sing. “So what if I love you/Don’t you love me as well?”
Sure Sure is a work of indie pop perfection, brimming with tracks that will only get more pleasant to listen to as the cold winter months turn to spring.
In their first attempt, it seems the boys have already struck gold.
3/4 Shells.
