Ben Bridwell and gang return with Why Are You OK, the South Carolina-based (formed in Seattle) indie rockers’ 5th studio album. Mirage Rock from 2012, Bridwell admits, is a creation from a “raw performance aspect,” but for Why Are You Ok, the band writes tighter, more polished songs: “with this one we really kind of spared over every single damn detail of it.” The biggest draw of standout tracks like “In A Drawer,” “Whatever, Wherever,” “Dull Times/The Moon,” and “In A Drawer” are sincere, charming visions that they conjure for the listener, and in-between the dream-folk, beach rock, and of course, southern rock moments reminiscent of My Morning Jacket, exist large nuggets of emotion—happy and sad—that everyone can relate to.

• music label: Interscope Records 2016

reviewed by donut savage 06/2016

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