Sometimes it’s necessary to get away from all the noise and grit of the city and retreat into a paradise of soothing sonic waves. Dolphins provide such a vacation with multi-layered pop songs fit for lounging in a hammock with a piña colada in hand.
The overall effect of these eight songs is like The Walkmen steeped in the bubblegum pop of the later Nuggets volume, Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults, with touches of modern coldwave, as on “CSO With a Drag Queen,” italo disco (“Blackstone Ave.”) and ’80s electronic new wave, exemplified by the centerpiece, “Stay,” and the closing “Cactus.” Flashes of Stereolab-ish lounge waft through the songs, adding a wispy, dreamlike quality to the compositions.
With all the stress of the work week, it’s nice to know there’s a place we can go where morning commutes, rush hours and long lines at the grocery store are concepts from another dimension. That place is Dolphins. Sip your drink and relax.
