First off, let’s acknowledge how strange it is to see Paellas prepping for an album on Universal Music. Perhaps I’m just getting weepy with this blog’s tenth anniversary coming in the near future, but seeing them go from playing 4 a.m. at a tiny Shibuya venue to this is pretty cool!
Paellas have locked on to a very specific groove at this point in their existence, and “Horizon” polishes it up ever so slightly as the spotlight widens around them. This one slinks ahead on sparse guitar and bass, letting a little keyboard fanfare sneak in to tease brighter vibes. The band though are still inverting the whole Suchmos-inspired “new city pop” sound, switching out chill Kanagawa vibes in favor of after-Midnight Shibuya bummers. It continues to work well, and leaning in as they prep for new ears is a smart move. Listen above.