Crossword Smiles—Tom Curless (Your Gracious Host, solo) and Chip Saam (The Hangabouts, host of Indie Pop Takeout)—deliver a second album that’s as satisfying as a Sunday puzzle on a rainy day. Consequences & Detours is clean, smart, and effortlessly melodic, expanding their sound with subtle surprises: synths and violin on Typical Waving Goodbye, trumpet on Night Train, accordion on the ballad Millicent.

If Pressed & Ironed was promising, this one fulfills it. The duo’s encyclopedic pop knowledge is clear, with nods to Guided By Voices, Crowded House, The Go-Betweens, and more—but always reassembled into something distinctly their own. There’s real variety here, but the songwriting feels confident and lived-in.

Equal parts heart and craftsmanship, this is tastefully executed indie pop for deep listeners—a quietly rewarding guitar pop record. Consequences & Detours is out now on CD and LP at Big Stir Records.

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