Exit Party specializes in an ethereal, sedated brand of dream pop. Sometimes the band guides you by the hand through lush soundscapes that make you feel like you’re moving in slow motion, like on “Heat Wave.” Other times, they hit you with a warm serving of nostalgia, like on “Baby Blue,” which features hints of absolutely fabulous harmonies and keyboard work. But at all times, the band’s music feels simultaneously sparkling and smooth.
Exit Party, “Sun Lux”: Exit Party’s debut single, “Sun Lux,” is a gem. There’s a bit of Real Estate-esque wistfulness both to the vibe and the music itself. The whole thing feels a bit like experiencing life through a thin pane of glass – you see and sense everything, but you just can’t touch it. Exit Party seems to know just how to deploy that sense of melancholic detachment, just how to communicate the feeling that something ineffable is missing from life. But by the time the track whittled down to just a lonely guitar strum and a gentle arpeggiator, I wasn’t any closer to figuring out what it was.
Like what you hear? Check out Exit Party at Soda Bar on Thursday, Dec. 5. Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists.