Restorations truly has mastered the art of being a band that at first listen seems incredibly simple, but upon further examination, the depths of complexity within their music is seemingly endless. They are a band that is so incredibly difficult to pigeonhole in an infinite rolodex of punk genres and sub-genres. When recommending Restorations to people I stand behind a firm “listening is believing” policy and in the case of LP3 is no different. With LP3, the band still maintains their mellow, comforting, dreamy sound that still manages to be extremely energetic and intense at the same time. The songs still build up, explode, and wind down, in a very familiar way as they do in their older records, but they also bring so much more to the table to set this venture apart from previous output.
LP3 opens with the punchy “Wales.” It sets the precedent for a record that is chock full of dancing bass, trippy effects, and plenty of unpretentious and earnest guitar solos that prove just how far the band has kicked everything up a notch. The whole record flows very nicely offering a balance of intense, straight up no nonsense rock and easement back into their more introspective and ethereal indie-ish side. “Misprint” while one of the latter type of songs, introduces a dancy and fun guitar that carries over to the super energetic “Tiny Prayers,” a stand out and one of my favorites on the record. It’s bouncy, playful, and showcases Jon Loudon’s signature gravelly, yet clean vocals.
“All My Home,” the midpoint of LP3, best displays the subtle use of horns throughout the record and are so nicely done, you might not even notice they’re there at first. The end of the song is reminiscent of the end of one of my all time favorite songs, Death Cab for Cutie’s “Transatlanticism,” with its marching drums and chill inducing build up that is simply beautiful.
The percussion on LP3 is also amped up tremendously and offers a sense of urgency that is extremely noticeable on “Most Likely A Spy.” The record also has a nostalgic feel for 90s era grunge and alternative that is most prominent on “No Castle.” The latter half of the record lays the groundwork for what is one of the best closing tracks I have heard in a long time. “It’s Not” manages to successfully tie every single theme, sound, feeling and aesthetic of the entire record together into a jaw dropping finish that leaves you wanting to immediately start the record up again.
Overall the entire record is just phenomenal. It manages to thrive as a standalone record, and is super accessible to folks who are new to Restorations, while being easily the best thing the band has put out to date. Restorations has successfully managed to maintain their identity of being a band all their own, difficult to pinpoint, but so easy to fall in love with. They have managed to evolve in a direction that is familiar but also entirely new and create a record that is most definitely one of the strongest releases this year. LP3 is the type of record that will politely lure you in, but at the same time stand up and demand your attention, and it’s well worth it.