Eternal Summers
Gold and Stone
Release Date: Jun 2, 2015
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Dream Pop
Record label: Kanine Records
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Album Review: Gold and Stone by Eternal Summers
Very Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 7.3/10
In hindsight, Eternal Summers might've reconsidered their name. The Virginia band formed in 2009, during indie rock's brief beach craze, and that sunny moniker made it mighty easy to group them with all those other acts making nostalgic, heavily reverbed pop, even though their own take on the style had more of a wiry, punk edge. That they shared bills with Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls only further typecast them.
Based on rating 7/10
Gold and Stone, the self-produced fourth album by Virginia indie pop trio Eternal Summers, sees the group continuing to balance their dreamy side with the energy displayed in their exciting live shows. Previous albums Correct Behavior and The Drop Beneath found the band stepping toward radio accessibility with tunes reminiscent of '90s alternative rock with a bit of a post-punk sensibility. Gold and Stone still has plenty of energetic, hooky songs, especially "Play Dead" and "Black Diamond," but other songs, such as brief opener "Unassigned" and the title track, while sounding gorgeous, don't exactly head for an easy hook.
Based on rating B-
After recording their first two albums close to home in Roanoke, Virginia, indie rock trio Eternal Summers ditched the Blue Ridge Mountains for Austin’s Lady Bird Lake to cut 2014’s polished and honed LP, The Drop Beneath. Stepping outside their geographic comfort zone and enlisting producer Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices, Nada Surf) proved to be a wise move; whereas their initial offerings show a band still striving to find its voice, last year’s album sounded suave and poised. And they’ve apparently taken a liking to their home away from home: The band returned to Resonate Studio in Austin for their self-produced fourth album, Gold and Stone.
Based on rating 6/10
Roanoke, Virginia trio Eternal Summers are fond of the descriptor "dream-punk." It may be slightly suspect to hang nomenclature on oneself, but it's a fairly accurate term to describe the hazy, guitar-driven textures the band has been exploring over three previous full-lengths. There's plenty to like throughout, but the same-y quality that has plagued their earlier records proves difficult to overcome here as well. Easy to like, tough to love.
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