FAMILY OF THE YEAR – Loma Vista
01. The Stairs
02. Diversity
03. St. Croix
04. Buried
05. Hero
06. Everytime
07. Living On Love
08. Hey Ma
09. In The End
10. Never Enough
11. Find It
We all tend to listen to music for different reasons. There’s no need to list them all right here, that much is for sure. But you might all agree on a certain level of escapism which plays a big part on the whole story. We dream ourselves away as much as we want to live certain songs. And in terms of Californian indie-folk-pop newcomers FAMILY OF THE YEAR this scenario is almost too much to enjoy. While some of us are stuck in the middle European autumn the band is about release a their second full length album Loma Vista right here, featuring eleven joyful songs about the sun, the beach and the pure joy being alive and free. A record that makes you wanna sell your belongings and take a trip to a place a bit warmer and more free-spirited.
That’s basically what Loma Vista is about. An euphoric piece of 60s-influenced surf-pop that also got influences from folk and classical American songwriting. In combination with a quite slick production FAMILY OF THE YEAR definitely have one eye on the mainstream market while the other one focuses on the pure enjoyment of making music. “They made the sunrise for people like us / So we have an excuse as to why we’re still up” – the powerful opener The Stairs already shows the direction. It’s about flowers, freedom and campfires on the beach. Although Joseph Keefe leaves his opinion up to the interpretation of the listener. But in general this is a record that seeks harmony, full of love and partly also laughter (at the end of Buried for example). “No trouble’s ever gonna take anything away from me” – with firm determination the band is soaking us into their sunny cosmos.
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Even melancholic moments like the current hit single Hero end up in a finale of joy and harmony. Life might be a bitch sometimes, but why not giving that bitch a glass of wine, a floral wreath and include her to our community? FAMILY OF THE YEAR reconcile us all. Everybody can be part of their community for the price of a record or concert ticket. Loma Vista spreads the hippie-like naivety of bands like CRYSTAL FIGHTERS, mixing it with a few COLDPLAY-like influences and the Californian spirit. Including big “Ahhs” and “Oohs” in songs like Everytime. It’s all about love and the positive aspects.
“You bring the ocean, I’ll bring emotion / Together we’ll make a love potion” goes the catchy chorus of St. Croix. Loma Vista follows that motion and spreads love – nothing but love. And if you are up for a bit of positive vibes you’ll embrace that record. If not you might argue that the album is kind of predictable and holds no surprises. It sometimes all seems a bit forced, a bit too harmless and because of that partly boring. But this is the cynical middle European view on it. We won’t mind taking a zip from that wine if we’re invited anyway. We make sure to wear some flowers in our hair.
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