come out. you're hiding

On their debut full-length album, 2017's come out. you're hiding, Oregon's Flor make effusive, sparkling, synth-based pop that's just as accessible, utilitarian, and stylishly designed as the bright, modular carpet-squares they share a name with. Lead singer/songwriter Zachary Grace has a sweetly delicate, often breathy croon that the band frames in shimmering keyboards, pulsing basslines, kinetic bits of electric guitar, and jaunty midtempo grooves. Try and imagine a more cherubic male version of Imogen Heap's yearning electronic sound and you'll get a sense of what Grace and Flor are going for here. In that sense, they fit nicely alongside other similarly inclined bands like the Naked and Famous, M83, and St. Lucia. There are some nice hooks here, and cuts like the lead-off "Guarded," "Warm Blood," and the buoyant 1975-esque "Where Do You Go" work as memorable mixtape fodder, with enough melodic juice and rhythmic pulse to keep you bopping along. Overall, Flor's songs fit into a background aesthetic, a pleasing amalgam of scene setting, perfect for stylish mid-day outings, relaxed coffee shop get-togethers, and, of course, movie soundtrack romance. ~ Matt Collar