The sophomore album from the Los Angeles power-pop outfit The Pretty Flowers, A Company Sleeve was penned during a tough time at work for the front man Noah Green, and that negative energy was parlayed into an often ’90s-influenced listen that’s packed with melodies.
The lo-fi sounds of “Young Gray Enemies” bursts into the loud and crisp alt-rock of the first track, where Sean Johnson’s animated drums make an impression. “Another Way To Lose” then follows with Sam Tiger’s lively bass lines complementing the energetic and garage-rock friendly delivery.
Side A continues with the lush textures of “Hit Nothing,” as well as the driving pace of the crunchy guitars that radiate in “Baby Food.” The final track on the first half, “Agendaless,” is among the best, and seems like it could be an updated version of The Replacements with much better production.
The second half leads with the thumping and reflective tone of “Wildflowers,” before the more rugged “Honeylight,” which brings to mind the almighty Superchunk thanks to Jake Gideon’s meticulous guitar playing. Gideon, who produced the effort, did a great job of highlighting everyone’s respective strengths.
Landing closer to the end, “Sit Right With You” spotlights Green’s smooth voice alongside the early ’90s college rock nods that recruit plenty of harmony. “Soon Enough Blues” then exits with a warm acoustic guitar fueled track that carries a hint of twang which builds into a soaring and dynamic finish of indie-rock ideas.
If bands such as (early) Weezer, Teenage Fanclub, The Lemonheads, Guided By Voices or Wilco occupy space in your collection, The Pretty Flowers certainly should, and they might just fill the void we are all suffering from since The Weatherthans are on indefinite hiatus.
