Six years ago Real Estate were on a real upward curve as ‘Atlas’, their glorious third release came close to the US top 30, grabbing the indie blueprint by the scruff of the neck and running with it in a whole new direction so obvious, it seemed to have been hiding in plain sight.
Alas the intervening years weren’t so kind, the somewhat messy departure of guitarist Martin Mondanile threatening to overshadow their progress for a while, this relative upheaval potentially derailing Real Estate’s gently evolving sound, perhaps evidenced on the band’s 2017’s transitory release ‘In Mind’.
Alas the intervening years weren’t so kind, the somewhat messy departure of guitarist Martin Mondanile threatening to overshadow their progress for a while, this relative upheaval potentially derailing Real Estate’s gently evolving sound, perhaps evidenced on the band’s 2017’s transitory release ‘In Mind’.
Thankfully, replacement guitarist Julian Lynch has bedded in, his colleagues Courteney, Bleeker, Kallman and Pollis enjoying a dust-settling hiatus including forays into romcom soundtracks and would you believe it, winemaking? ‘The Main Thing’ lead-off track ‘Paper Cup’ also sees the Real Estate breaking new ground, drawing in a selection of collaborators, in this instance enlisting the services of electro-pop special guests ‘Sylvan Esso’, vocalist Amelia Meath adding her breathy vocals to the sun-drenched string-laden single, the latter thanks to the services of a roped-in quartet.
Real Estate’s trademark introspective suburban indie is still very much to the fore on ‘The Main Thing’, the album’s title inspired by the Roxy Music number from their swansong long player ‘Avalon’, and is their fourth release on Domino Records. If, however, one looks under the bonnet, one senses subtle changes around the edges, the sparse Linn-era percussion on ‘Gone’ one case in point. The American quintet replicate this similarly lo-fi ambiance on instrumental ‘Sting’ as it drifts into the luxuriant ‘Silent World’ continuing their flirtation with vocal free tracks, the other here being woozy closer ‘Brother’.
The dreamlike sombreness of ‘Also A But’ seemingly forms the new record’s centrepiece, although the overall impression on ‘The Main Thing’ is of a band settling into its skin once more, pouring new light through familiar windows confirming their intention to be around for a while longer.
Words - Mike Price
Real Estate
The Main Thing Tracklist:
01. Friday
02. Paper Cup (feat. Sylvan Esso)
03. Gone
04. You
05. November
06. Falling Down
07. Also a But
08. The Main Thing
09. Shallow Sun
10. Sting
11. Silent World
12. Procession
13. Brother
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