Flasher
are a different band on their second full-length album, 2022's
Love Is Yours
, and they sound like it. Co-founder
Daniel Saperstein
left the group after touring behind their 2018 debut,
Constant Image
, and while they previously worked in the studio as a guitar-bass-drum trio,
Taylor Mulitz
and
Emma Baker
took his departure as an opportunity to shake up their working methods. For
,
Mulitz
Baker
became multi-instrumentalists, adding a variety of different sounds beside producer
Owen Wuerker
and incorporating new influences along the way. Some of the scrappy punk energy of
has faded away on
, but in its place,
have grown into a first-rate indie pop band, melding acoustic and electronic textures, blending electric guitars and sweet vocal harmonies, and fielding tunes as diverse as the herky-jerky "Spell It Out," the sensuously languid "All Day Long," and the joyous pop explosion of "Still Life." The fine grit of the guitar-based
will certainly be missed by some fans, though in its place,
introduces a band more willing to push against their stylistic boundaries, and even if this music is less your cup of tea than the debut, there's no arguing that they're great at this stuff.
often sounds like an album
couldn't have made in 2018, and that growth and new thinking has as much to do with the different sound as any conscious desire to rework their approach; the result speaks of musical maturity as well as a youthful joy in the possibilities of their creative process. It's an engaging delight that will grow on old fans and likely win
plenty of new ones. ~ Mark Deming