Album Review: You're Always on My Mind by A Great Big Pile of Leaves

Review Summary: The line of best fit. I’m in this habit of perpetually listening to music, and judging by those around me, so are a lot of the people I know. Thing is, I always find it extremely difficult to tell if we’re either a) incredibly lucky to somehow be able to engender a connection with sounds forged by individuals working thousands of miles away, or b) just the tragic conclusion of the ease at which self-isolation is afforded to the smartphone generation.

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Neck deep into summer and this record rolls across, fitting given the time of year. Touching on bases from pop-punk, indie and simple, catchy rock, A Great Big Pile of Leaves offer an ideally laid-back, mellow and typical summer record for cruising with the top down. You're Always On My Mind isn't anything intricate but it sure as hell makes for a chill listen full of poppy adventures.If you're a fan of hellogoodbye, Rooney or Best Coast, and up for beach cruising and soaking in the summer's rays, opener "Snack Attack" sums up what's on tap here.

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Signifiers of American childhood—hamburgers, skateboards, pizza—thrive on both the album cover and song lyrics of A Great Big Pile of Leaves' sophomore effort, You're Always on My Mind. The album title doesn't refer to a lover so much as a specific time period—the mythical, eternal summer of youth, set to a soundtrack of the lighter side of '90s indie rock. Instead of offering a complex album that recognizes that confusion and boredom may be part of the purview of childhood as well as the adult workday, A Great Big Pile of Leaves seem mainly content to give us the by-blows of an idealizing imagination.

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Brace yourself – we’re delving into the seriously independent side alternative music in the US. A Great Big Pile Of Leaves are a band on Boston’s hyper-independent Topshelf Records, belonging to a scene wherein every act with any traction has a following so devoted, so endlessly turned on by them, that they get tattoos of their lyrics, collect all the beautiful limited edition LPs, know every last word to every last song and belt those words along at their shows en masse. Actually though, even within that scene, we’re talking about something very special, and everybody who’s uncovered the secret knows it; A Great Big Pile of Leaves are a unique band.

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For You’re Always On My Mind, A Great Big Pile Of Leaves teamed up with Ed Ackerson, marking the first time they’ve worked with an outside producer. While Ackerson surely deserves praise for the album’s highlights, much credit goes to the band’s newfound musical confidence. You’re Always On My Mind is a cohesive pop-rock album that sees the band in top form.

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