Album Review: The French Press [EP] by Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

With their debut 2015 EP, Talk Tight, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever proved to be one of those special bands that arrives seemingly out of nowhere with a fully realized aesthetic. No tentative baby steps or half-formed experiments for this lot; Talk Tight exuded confidence and purpose, yielding five propulsive, jangly pop gems that felt instantly familiar. And its appeal was cross-generational.

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If Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever's debut EP, 2016's Talk Tight, was an outstanding exercise in snarky jangle pop, their first release for Sub Pop Records, 2017's The French Press, is even better as pop music, and just snarky enough to prevent the music from sounding too sweet. This band's belief in the power of a great hook is as strong as ever, and on these six tunes, they've come up with more songs that suggest the hidden nexus between the C-86 era and the Flying Nun Records roster. The best tracks here are up to the standards of Talk Tight, but with just a bit more polish and tightness, and an extra boost of energy that gives "French Press" and "Julie's Place" some real rock action.

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