Indie escapism lands in the jingle-jangle bubble.
During the Obama years from 2009 to 2016, Real Estate played the sound of an indie America that slept softly and dreamed mildly. The guitars were warm raindrops, harmonies everywhere, songs called “Kinder Blumen” or “Easy” – and yes, a lot of things were easier back then. As soon as Trump was in office, Real Estate kicked their guitarist Matt Mondaline out of the band “due to allegations of unacceptable treatment of women”. It’s strange how synchronously different cosmoses sometimes change.
Today, in 2024, when you first hear it, Real Estate sounds like it used to: gentle and mild. What was and what threatens seem to flow into this band’s music only very indirectly – if at all. You can imagine the album as a bubble that you hide into and forget.
The title DANIEL is on the one hand a tribute to Grammy-winning producer Daniel Tashian, who recorded the album, and on the other hand a signal that only the music counts here. And when the artfully arranged piece “Interior” plays, with Americana influences, Dü-dü-dü’s and heavenly harmony singing, then Real Estate show how valuable this escapist approach can be.
You can find out which albums were released in February 2024 via our monthly release list.