MUSIC

wordless cries, high-voltage noise, breathy exhortations, lyrical melodies. On their new second release, Instant Opaque Evening, their solution is to use the improvised negotiation of relationships among players and elements as a source of dramatic tension. At any given moment, one musician has another’s back while the third proposes a contrasting approach. In an instant, alliances might shi or someone might drop out altogether. Playing out in album-sidelength segments, the music evokes the uncertainty of court intrigue and the multifaceted bombardment of a kaleidoscope. —BILL

MEYER

Layton Wu, Summertime Mixtape

Sunset Music laytonwoohbill.bandcamp.com/album/ summertime-mixtape

Chicago-based, Taiwan-born bedroom-pop auteur Layton Wu blurs boogie, yacht rock, and sun-kissed 60s pop into a calming sound that helps dial back my anxiety when every scrap of news cranks it to “high.” He released the luxuriant Summertime Mixtape (Sunset Music) four days a er the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and since I first listened to it, I’ve absolutely needed to keep listening to it. Wu sings in a so -edged but outgoing coo that’s both sultry and endearing, accompanied by tight funk bass, nimble percussion, and soothing keys that float in the background or gleam like sunlight off a window. In someone else’s hands this might end up musical wallpaper, but Wu’s ear for hooks and total commitment to his almost otherworldly retro aesthetic combine to give his songs a magnetic charm. The tender surf guitar and post-lounge electronic drums on “Honey Ginger Tea” help me dream of a summertime getaway—especially welcome now that I’m barely stepping outside. —LEOR

GALIL v