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Apr 26, 2016 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

Three years after 2013’s sparser, more tentative Nightingale Floors, Rogue Wave come roaring back with an album that reasserts them as major, albeit under-recognized, players in the world of 21st century indie rock. Core members Zach Rogue (singer/songwriter/guitarist) and drummer Pat Spurgeon decided to record and produce this album themselves, and the result is their best work since 2007’s Asleep at Heaven’s Gate.

The electro-pop experimentation of 2010’s Permalight seems like a distant memory, the only hint of it coming in the synth bleeps of first single “What Is Left to Solve.” Most of these songs feel like they could have been written during the period between 2005’s excellent Descended Like Vultures and Asleep at Heaven’s Gate. The highlights are many and include the catchy “California Bride” and the hook-filled “Endless Supply.” “Ocean” (featuring backing vocals by Mike Deni of Geographer) sounds as massive as its title, but the album ends with the hushed, contemplative “Memento Mori.” There are references to divorce and broken relationships peppered all throughout the album, but they also aren’t afraid to show a humorous side with references to a “Canadian tuxedo” in the otherwise haunting “Frozen Lake.” All in all, Rogue Wave’s sixth album is an unqualified triumph. (www.roguewavemusic.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10