Daisy

Brand New write many of their songs on acoustic guitar, but it’s hard to imagine “Vices” stripped down because it sounds like singer Jesse Lacey is screaming for his mortal soul as demons drag him howling through the gates of hell. Conversely, the hushed and somber “Bed” is conducive to some romantic strumming around the campfire. “At the Bottom” plays like tougher Northwest indie rock with loud guitars and Lacey affecting a Built To Spill-inspired, nasal-toned inflection. The influences shift to early-‘90s English shoegazing on the lush and lilting “You Stole,” as reverb and delay splash beautifully dark and cold hues all over the guitars, while Lacey approximates the whisper-sung style that was prevalent in bands like Chapterhouse, My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive; halfway through the song the bridge erupts with a sonic wall of noise not unlike Nowhere-era Ride. While some may long for more of Brand New’s louder side, true fans will delight in hearing the band keep to their namesake by trying something that for them sounds brand new.