Mia Pharaoh (Deluxe Edition)

After a handful of albums exploring various shades of what could be tagged psych-pop, Arizona's Miniature Tigers here make a two-footed leap and land squarely in an arena of cotton-candy pop. Borrowing from the '60s (The Beatles, The Beach Boys) and '80s synth/club pop, Mia Pharaoh is also sprinkled with a mist of chillwave. Yet it's relentlessly bright. Charlie Brand's voice is appealingly breathy and cheery, and at times he comes off like a less naughty Mark Bolan (of T. Rex, for you young'uns). His Bolan-esque lower register on "Afternoons with David Hockney" is quite alluring. Brand's airy falsetto is perfect on tender songs like "Husbands and Wives" and the sweet and breezy "Easy As All That," but most of Mia Pharaoh is so effervescent it threatens to evaporate. The production cries out for more muscle. It's a tightly constructed work and well-written (though lyrically you won't get much more than simple declarations of lust and love). Just a wisp of dark edge or a hint of a T. Rex–ish stomp could help the Tigers get a little growl on. And that could be a very good thing.