GENRE | AMERICANA-RAMA
LABEL | SELF-RELEASED

The new album by quintet The Grownup Noise contains more than a few moments in which all the band’s moving parts combine to beautiful effect, showcasing a robust neo-folk aesthetic that would be impressive no matter where they were from. Let’s talk about those first: namely “The Fight Against Paranoia,” in which layers of strings, piano and accordion swell around Paul Hansen’s voice, earnest and clean while resisting exaggeration. He sounds even better when he sings “once upon a time, sacred was yours to climb” on “Everything Out,” an upbeat jaunt that would play well at weddings or possibly in the background on a commercial for a cooler-than-average bank. The group’s sound is consistent and polished throughout, and therein lies the one qualified gripe: The album (available 10.4) amounts to less than the sum of its parts by staying within its narrow comfort zone.

MARTIN CABALLERO

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