Real Estate 

                                                           Days

                                                          9.0/10

                                                       iPod Worthy 

It’s so refreshing to hear a band like Real Estate. The New Jersey foursome released their self-titled LP back in 2009, which generated some buzz. The record was full of smooth and breezy costal jams making it a stellar summer soundtrack. But now the group has returned with their sophomore album, Days, picking up where Real Estate ended except with a more polished, tighter and constructed sound.

While Real Estate focused about the summer in the now, Days is a nostalgic record about looking back. It is, in fact, a wonderful fall album as the laid back jams instantly hit the rewind button in your mind. Since you might be listening to Days in the cool weather, noticing more and more houses become littered with pumpkins and decorations, you’ll be taken over by thoughts of those cute but unforgettable moments you had in the past three months. “Green Aisles,” one of Days’ strongest tracks, reminisces about lazy times, hanging with friends; not sure where the day has in store for you. The song has you going out, exploring woods and driving around the country with good friends, walking along train tracks and discovering haunted houses: “All those wasted miles/ All those aimless drives through green aisles/ A carless lifestyle/ It was not so unwise,” Alex Bleeker sings the hook.

Lead single “It’s Real” is killer jam with a instant guitar riff and a simple but effective hook and it is one of Days’ shinning moments. “I carved our names in a tree/ I walked along decomposing leaves,” Bleeker whimsically chants. “Out of Tune” is just as catchy and lovable with swirling guitars and Bleeker singing “You’re all out of tune/ You’re out of tune.” The FM-pop, 60s inspired “Wonder Years,” is Real Estate’s most interesting track to date. It has a slight country twang that totally knocks the ball out of the park. It also features a quaint psychedelic guitar freakout and the band repeating ”doo doo doo” over and over. 

You’ll notice that I’m not really delving into the mechanics of these songs and that’s because for the most part, the 10 tracks on Days are simple. There aren’t many showy moments or tricks or gimmicks here and the songs are straightforward. However, they excel in musical and lyrical craftsmenship. The words the band sings may be simple but they are so endearing and nice it feels like conversing with a good friend. There isn’t a single track that I find myself not loving or wanting to skip - even the instrumental “Kinder Bluemen” is a delightful groovy cut. Real Estate are clearly not a flashy group. They are modest and know themselves as a Band. They have honed in on their sound and instead of becoming a typical summer/beach inspired indie band, the guys use a laid back approach that really hasn’t been done before. Even when looking back at their debut they had songs called “Beach Comber,” “Pool Swimmers,” “Black Lake,” “Green River” and “Let’s Rock the Beach.” However, Days isn’t as literal - there is much more substance to the songs, allowing the listener to apply their own experiences to them.  

Days clicked with me a few days ago when I was driving to Salem, Massachusetts. It was a slightly rainy/misty day and it was the first time this season I noticed the trees starting to really change color. Zooming passed the New England scenery, tracks like “Easy,” “Municipality” and “All the Same” blasted out of my car’s stereo. I thought back to the Fourth of July, late sticky summer nights with my close friends, lakes I visited, vacation at the Cape and so much more. Days is transcendent and universal and once it seeps under the listener’s skin it will douce them in sunny nostalgia, deeply impacting them. It is a calming LP that allows you to take a break from your busy fall schedule and sit back, relax and remember this past summer, the one before that and the one before that and before that and before that. The next thing you know, you’re 16 and it’s the best summer you’ve ever had.  

Listen to the lead single, “It’s Real,” below:

Real Estate - It’s Real by DominoRecordCo