One Track Mind

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Summer’s here and the time is right for dancin’ in the streets! Or maybe not. Sometimes the time is right to for lazing on a blanket with the one you love. “Summer” by Memphis, Tennessee’s Magic Kids perfects the latter version of the season.

The song begins with a simple truth: “Summertime is for sweethearts / home again / see my friends.” It captures the sultry feeling of muggy air but cuts through the heaviness with staccato strings and effervescent backing vocals. The song’s old-fashioned charm is a bit of a throwback, even Lawrence Welk-y, yet little touches like its vibrato-inspired synth line keep the song feeling modern. Male vocals leap from tenor to falsetto before a joyful female voice adds harmony.

“Summer” brings to mind Belle and Sebastian, particularly the old Stuart Murdoch and Isobel Campbell days, or Phil Spector, as well as the duo Girls’ everything-old-is-new-again style. If “Summer” gives any indication about what listeners can expect from the quintet’s forthcoming full-length debut, Memphis (to be released on August 24th by True Panther Sounds), it should be a welcome addition to the orchestral pop oeuvre.