A project spearheaded by the singer and multi-instrumentalist Ivan Mairesse, this album was originally released in 2020, and it collects songs penned between 2015 and 2017 in San Francisco, before he retreated back to his hometown of Los Angeles. <\/p>\n
\u201cI Know Where I’m Going\u201d gets the album off to a retro-pop start, where Paul Korte’s bass and guitar, Dylan Edrich’s piano and Geoff Morriss’ saxophone complement Mairesse’s smooth and warm vocals. From there, \u201cDesert Shore\u201d is quite dreamy with its well-timed keys, swirling guitar and crisp drumming, while \u201cSay Something Nice\u201d gets intimate in its expressive, folk-influenced delivery.<\/p>\n
Nearing the middle, \u201cDoo Doo Doo\u201d offers a poetic and very pretty display of \u201970s friendly soft-rock, and \u201cAge Of 9\u201d welcomes a bit of atmosphere into the thicker climate that thumps playfully amid its rugged, mysterious and harmonic gestures.<\/p>\n
The final few tunes are the best, where the timeless singer-songwriter appeal of \u201cGarden So Slow\u201d finds plenty of melodies and even some grit, too, though \u201cCall Me Closer\u201d is the absolute highlight, as the lush, jangly pop flows with a bit of cautiousness alongside so much charm. The closing title track is certainly lovely with its romantic demeanor. <\/p>\n
Mairesse handles vocals, piano, synthesizer, acoustic guitar and percussion here, and on all but the first track, Jason Kick acts as engineer, mixer, and plays several different guitars as well as vibraphone and synth. Additionally, Jon Wujcik contributes drums\/percussion and Mark Ashworth provides bass. <\/p>\n