Dead Gaze - Easy Travels (2016)

It's been nearly 3 years since Dead Gaze--the brainchild of Cole Furlow-- released their acclaimed LP, ''Brain Holiday.'' Since that time, Furlow got married, moved back to his hometown of Oxford, Mississippi, and returned to his recording comfort zone; his living room. For his previous LP, Furlow was famously gifted nearly two weeks of free recording time at Mississippi's Sweet Tea studio where he shed the lo-fi, bedroom recording aesthetic that characterized a slew of the band's early releases. As Pitchfork said at the time, ''he's swept away the detritus and placed his personality front and center, revealing a sharp ear for psychedelia-indebted garage rock that doesn't rely on obfuscation to get across.'' The same can be said about ''Easy Travels,'' but this time the filter's been removed. Editor-free, and bristling with hints of various pop obsessions, the record moves from T-Rex glam to psych-folk to '90s alt-rock to '70s ELO-tinged sci-fi. Along with notable friends Julian Lynch (Real Estate) and Clay Jones (Modest Mouse, Ugly Casanova) Furlow's latest also includes some of his heaviest tracks to date (the arena ready ''Wait For Nothing'') alongside perfectly laid-back summertime magic (''Jump''). The Dead Gaze live show has already incorporated a number of the new tunes and infused them with a blistering edge, but ''Easy Travels'' is a bit more true to its name, presenting these pop confections in a wonderfully crafted package that shows the depth of Furlow's songwriting.