Native Echoes

Florida’s Beach Day return with a second album that essentially extends the promise of their previous year’s debut album, Trip Trap Attack. Just as that album merged garage rock basics with the lure of girl-group pop and angst, this second album, 2014’s Native Echoes continues the streak with singer/guitarist Kimmy Drake’s vocals pushed to the front of the songs and her partner, drummer Skyler Black, holding down the backbeat. As usual, it’s all about the melodies, and songs like “All My Friends Were Punks,” “Don’t Call Me on the Phone,” and “Pretty” nail down the simple joys of pop-rock music since The Ramones first celebrated simplicity in punk form. Producer Jim Diamond (Dirtbombs, White Stripes) opened his Detroit studio to the duo in the dead of winter and encouraged them to work all the potential angles, from surf instrumentals (“Gnarly Waves”) to harmony-rich ballads (“The Lucky One”). Every song here belongs here. What better recommendation for a second album—or any!