Real Estate sound as simple, stripped back, and straightforward as ever on Daniel. Like much of their music before, there's much beauty within the band's carefree subtlety and Daniel is pretty obvious proof of this. Just sit back, relax, and look up at the clouds.
New Jersey natives Real Estate are basically the kings of jangly, sunny, and ultra chill indie rock at this point. Six albums in, the band have consistently been providing what they do best to an audience that expects this laid back, jammy, and introspectively breezy singing and songwriting from Martin Courtney. Their previous album, The Main Thing, marked an album of detailed, serious, and mature themes of adulthood, growing in an age of isolation, turmoil, and nervousness. It was one of the best albums of 2020 despite it being a little all over the place, stuffed with ideas and a little messy in its presentation. Not at all a bad thing, (to be honest it was a breath of fresh air for Real Estate at the time) but their sixth album Daniel proves to act as a reset button for the band. With new drummer Sammi Niss (Jackson Pollis left the band after The Main Thing rollout and tour), the band sound reinvigorated to start over and try something new. The band sound as simple, stripped back, and straightforward as ever on Daniel. Songwriting wise, Courtney's lyrics have never sounded this traditional, honest, or on the surface but this certainly isn't a negative thing by any means. It's actually a refreshing approach to hear Courtney sing in this way. Hearing lines like "we live in furnished rooms / listen to 'Harvest Moon' / making plans to see each other soon" or "get in the car / I've got a song / I have been dying to show you" are very pretty to hear in its subtlety.
Instrumentally, this album sounds way more acoustic than any other previous record and is quietly influenced by folk and country. It was even recorded in Nashville of all places. There's a subtle twang to many of these songs, such as the pedal steel and guitars on "Haunted World" or on "Victoria." The acoustic guitars, percussion, and bass are all over this record everywhere you can see but the jammy, eclectic Real Estate-certified guitar jangles are still here as vibrant as ever. You can here the sharp, surprisingly noisy guitar solo from Julian Lynch towards the back end of "Market Street," the guitars going absolutely jangle-haywire on "Say No More," which was shocking to hear that this was almost cut because it's quite the highlight. "Somebody New" is a pretty tone setter for the record and introduces the acoustic delight and subtle keys in the background. At first I wasn't won over by the straightforwardness of "Water Underground" but with each new listen I am loving its simple beauty more and more. It might be the most chill lead single by the band yet and it's a very well crafted pop song about the difficulty of clearing your head and "unlocking" what you're attempting to think of... or that's how I interpret it.
"Flowers" is a sharp nod to the indie rock of the 90's with guitars that shimmer and pop like from acts The Sea and Cake or Pavement. "Freeze Brain" is one of the more percussion heavy tracks with some additional bongos in the background. "Airdrop" is a seamlessly smooth track with synths that glide like a smooth airplane ride in the cloudy sky. "Interior" is lush and is one of the more open and straight songs Courtney has sung and written. It's another beauty to hear within its simpleness. The album concludes with "You Are Here" which is... ok I guess? I still haven't been won over by this track and maybe it'll take some time for it too. It's one of the more tedious moments on the album that isn't as instantly gratifying. I do like its buildup though. All in all, Daniel is a Real Estate album through and through. Honestly at this point in their career, I'd be surprised if I heard a record from them that's not. It's not exactly a career high point nor a low one but one that's interesting point to say the least. I enjoy the band's approach to a more simple and direct style of songwriting while incorporating stripped back acoustic elements throughout. Like much of their music before, there's much beauty within the band's carefree subtlety and Daniel is pretty obvious proof of this. As much as I enjoy this record, it's not exactly my all time favorite of theirs (that award belongs to Atlas) but the band is still doing what they do best and that's all I can ask of them, really. Just sit back, relax, look up at the clouds, and enjoy Daniel.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Water Underground," "Say No More," "Haunted World," "Interior," "Somebody New"
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