Days deserves prime Real Estate on playlist

Armed with an arsenal of nostalgia, Real Estate sure does remember the good old days. Real Estate

Days

Domino

Rocks Like: the male progeny of a Best Coast/Beach House hook-up

Grade: A-

Armed with an arsenal of nostalgia, Real Estate sure does remember the good old days.

On Days, its latest full-length album, the band packs more than enough warm memories to outlast the coming depression of winter months.

Evoking something that hovers between sunny coastal beaches and familiar overcast East Coast skies, the New Jersey band presents a brilliant collection of tracks shimmering with sentiment for good times gone by. With rolling electric guitar leads, subtle drum work and echoey, understated vocals, each song points toward the same sense of lethargic reflection that’s the heart of Days.

Advance single “Green Aisles” is an easy standout as well as a perfect “go take a drive” song. From the start, it’s evident that Real Estate’s biggest strength might well lie within singer Martin Courtney’s lyrical imagery. Flowing between “mountains of maple leaves” and houses “humming / all through the night,” this entire song is one great, shared lucid dream.

Hiding on the latter half of Days, “Wonder Years” might or might not find inspiration in the Fred Savage television series, but it’s certainly just as fond of wistful reminiscing. Courtney, as the song’s narrator, admits, “I’m not trying to be cool / I only wanna be kind / I know that I’ve pissed you off / Baby, better rewind.” Complete with feel-good, jangling acoustics that successfully straddle the folk-pop divide, the tune would make the perfect soundtrack to a sitcom denouement.

Even on an up-tempo song like “It’s Real,” Real Estate seems content taking its time getting wherever its going. Consecutively moving through the tracks, the album gives the distinct impression of one falling deeper and deeper into a daydream. In no way is this a bad thing.

Days might just be the latest in a genre full of summery California-esque songs with shared beach-rock ancestry — all the familiar elements are present: guitars and vocals dripping in reverberations and chorus, sweet and simple 4/4-time drum beats — but Real Estate’s unhurried philosophy and surreal take on memory makes the album a worthwhile listen all the same. It’s unclear how much longer this particular style will last, but for now let’s just enjoy one last lazy, dreamy day at the beach.