Sometimes, you want to compare an artist to a different act out there, and you worry that maybe…just maybe…you are wrong. And then you have the moments when bands are just like “yeah, this is what we are going for.” A minute or so into Sappy’s “Summer Of Love” video, the camera focuses on a copy of Mac DeMerco’s Salad Days, and yeah, it becomes clear who is being channeled on this song. Nothing novel there — as a sort of compliment to the slick, laid-back sound of the “city pop revival,” a hazier slacker-ish breed of psych rock has appeared, offering a smudgier take on soaking in the warmer months. Sappy feature a lot of the hallmarks of the style — extended guitar solo, easy-breezy tempo, uhhhhh an interest in Ted the vulgar bear — but really just do it better than anyone else in Japan I’ve come across (and also ending up to be more than just a DeMarco clone). Mainly, that’s because of the vocals, which add a sweetness and longing that usually gets abandoned in favor of goofball shit. Listen above.
