1000 Palms

After their major-label dalliance with 2013's Pythons, Surfer Blood returned to their indie roots with 1000 Palms, a strictly D.I.Y. affair recorded in an attic studio above a doctor's office and the home of drummer Tyler Schwarz's parents. The album often feels more like a sigh of relief than a breath of fresh air; the band hasn't sounded this relaxed since Astro Coast, and at times, they come close to recapturing their debut's exuberance. "Grand Inquisitor" packs a lot into two and a half minutes, switching from washy keyboards to galloping riffs and stomping passages with the glee of the recently unshackled, and "Island" is a fine, if bittersweet, example of the fuzzed-out rock that made Astro Coast so winning. Later, "Dorian"'s smooth harmonies and sharp-edged guitars and "Point of No Return"'s intricate hand drums and percussion -- which feel like a throwback to late-'80s baggy -- show that the band can also embellish that sound in ways that feel mature but not staid. The sweet acoustic closing track "NW Passage" is another standout. ~ Heather Phares