Spectreview: Tourist Activities: Off My Mind
Released: March 15, 2019
Surf Rock
Jangle
Indie Rock
-DEEP PINK-
Just in time for the warm weather, indie rock quartet Tourist Activities take you on a much-needed vacation with Off My Mind, their first EP coming off the heels of their debut 7” Tapeworm. At least on the surface the band seems to wear its influences proudly, channelling at times Lush’s sponge-cake shoegaze in “Calamine,” Bradford Cox’s ornate chord progressions on “Sauce”, and the impish surf-rock of La Luz. Most of all the record recalls the humid guitar-led jangle of early Real Estate, with unique twists; opener “Crystal River” plays like their self-titled record at double speed, while standout tracks “Greenwater” and closer “Swim” touch upon a melancholy that the band never reached for back then. Bailey Melton’s vocals, here shrouded in a tasteful reverb that evokes the summer-centric indie rock dominating the turn of the decade, rise off the page like heat lines, while the band plays throughout with a scrappiness that reads as endearing. Is it revelatory? It’s not trying to be. Off My Mind is simply a breezy, highly enjoyable listen to get you in the mood for beachwear.
Recommended for road trips where nobody wears shoes in the car.
Lives in Seattle, terrible diet, loves music, has hope for people