Following three releases in 2024, tireless singer-songwriter Alexei Shishkin returns with his eleventh full-lengther, hopefully titled Good Times. I previously described his music as inviting indie pop in a cinematic jazz guise, so we are used to something extraordinary from the Pavement fan, but the twelve new songs might be his most curious detour yet. Instead of his usual slow-burn home-recorded approach, he and producer Bradford Krieger built the entire thing from scratch in just four days. For the musicians it is “a diary that tries to capture a lucid yet fleeting, four day escape from reality” and “a collage of spur-of-the-moment inspiration” featuring “surrealist techniques both in the music and the lyrics.” It sounds like a spontaneous collage of styles and instruments (piano for the win), both intimate and eccentric, stitched together with surrealist techniques and stream-of-consciousness wordplay—a left turn that somehow feels straight ahead.

Good Times is out now digitally through Rue Defense. Featuring Alexei Shishkin (vocals, guitars, piano, synth, kalimba), Bradford Krieger (vocals, guitars, piano, synth, drums, bass), Dave Kahn (bass), and Ivan Rodriguez (sax).

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp