Zonian Girls and the Echoes That Surround Us All

King of Prussia leader Brandon Hanick split his time between Barcelona and Athens, Ga., and even found time to record in Bordeaux, France. He writes as many songs as there are musicians on this ambitious song cycle, which loosely follows a relationship from first flower (“I’ll Dance with You”) to “Divorce,” with other revealing titles like “I Won’t Cry” and “The Sun Will Never Rise.” Hanick is a fan of pop music in that retro-'60s sense, and like the Elephant 6 collective of bands such as Apples in Stereo and Of Montreal, he adds baroque arrangements that recall elements of The Beach Boys, Bread, and The Zombies at their more obscure. The lyrics, though, run closer to the confessional ‘70s writings of the singer/songwriter era. It creates an interesting disconnect that eventually comes together on this album, which would've been a double in the age of vinyl. The first batch of 10 tunes here adhere closer to a joyous, circus-like, impersonal pop atmosphere, while the second half turns darker and more intimate, especially on the John Cale–like piano confessional “A Parting, a Loss.”