The power of Real Estate’s sophomore album, 2011’s Days, was hidden in the sunshine-beckoning feel of the New Jersey band’s braiding guitars paired with Martin Courtney’s throw-pillow-soft vocals, suggesting stakes no higher than Atlantic tide crashes at ankle depth. By never raising its voice, the album demanded we lean in to appreciate it. Almost three years later, the arrangements on Atlas are the densest Real Estate has ever attempted, shading the band’s sunshine into something palpably more mysterious, like a sunset in inclement weather. On “Talking Backwards,” one of the best songs Real Estate has ever made, the band constructs a Technicolor groove to support Courtney (pictured) as he airs terrifying relationship doubts with disproportionate calm: “The only thing that really matters/ Is the one thing I can’t seem to do.”
–STEVEN ARROYO
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Contact us at letters@time.com