Good Looks make music for a drive in the summer. So it's fitting their new album, Lived Here for a While is dropping on June 7. The solid, workmanlike rock within is deserving of some attention. And that's saying something in a month crowded with releases.
Press for this band stresses the vibe that's like both Tom Petty and The War on Drugs, and that makes sense. Opener "If It's Gone" owes a debt or two to Full Moon Fever Petty, while the down-beat "Day of Judgment" nods in the direction of The War on Drugs in a general sense, yes. Far better than either one of those is "Can You See Me Tonight?", a soaring selection which echoes The Jayhawks to these ears, even as "Broken Body" mimics Kings of Leon. Good Looks put a premium on hooks rather than affecting a roots-y twang, and that's appreciated.
Things get a little same-y on Lived Here for a While in terms of the sound, but Good Looks deserve points for the sharp "White Out", a broadside against gentrification. That song, rocking in spirit and intention, elevates the approach of this band, and I'd be eager to hear more like this. As it is, the tunes of Good Looks are solid enough to please fans of any of the bands I've referenced above.
Lived Here for a While by Good Looks is out this week on Keeled Scales. Details below.
[Photo: Jackie Lee Young]