Alex G finds restraint on Headlights

The songs are proficiently penned, though often devoid of the juggernaut hooks that elevated previous outings, particularly the exhilarating House of Sugar and stunning God Save the Animals. Additionally, the production MO tilts toward the conservative – well-sanded and well-stirred instrumentation. The result – surprisingly, shockingly – is a sequence that is frequently intriguing but rarely riveting.

Headlights does succeed at anchoring Alex in the “chill” world, a domain he’s always been at least adjacent to. “Real Thing”, for example, is bolstered by a strummy guitar and accented by swirly synths and easy-listening piano runs. Vocally, Alex seems relaxed, wistful yet unburdened. “Afterlife” is the album’s highpoint, at least melodically, though one can’t help but note the heavily burnished instrumentation. Alex’s voice is warm, catchy, set against inviting back-up parts. Rhythmically, the song chugs along, exuding an upbeat, summery feel.

“Some things I do for love / some things I do for money”, Alex tells us on “Beam Me Up”. We’ll assume that making music falls largely into the former category. That said, it’s tempting to conjecture that Alex’s pivot to a major label (RCA) prompted Headlights’ more contained sound. One can imagine that people who shy away from the “indie” gestalt with its “glitches”, its “weird” palimpsests, might appreciate Headlights’ more restrained gestalt. So goes the back-room PR talk.

“Spinning” conjures a Beach Boys cum Elliott Smith cum Animal Collective outtake, Alex’s melody slightly forced, pointing to a hook that never quite arrives. His vocal, in contrast, remains irresistible, that balance between patio buoyancy and bedroom reflectiveness ever-compelling. “Louisiana” is louder, a bit rawer, but given the absence of a notable melody, occurs as Alex self-consciously reminding us that, despite current circumstances, he’s still a fan of noise rock and bubblegum pop.

“Oranges” is a Big Star-esque folksy take, Alex’s voice benefitting from a more spacious mix. Melodic accents convey a certain effervescence, even as Alex pleads, “Mama come out and rescue me”. On “Far and Wide”, his spoken-word-ish vocal brings to mind ’90s nerd rock. The soundscape, meanwhile, is an oddly orchestral collage built around prime-time synths/strings (he’s used strings before; for example, on “Bobby” from Rocket and several tracks from House of Sugar, but more understatedly/integratedly).

The title track is a reverb-y cut with a perky instrumental progression and some striking guitar and synth overlays. The casual mood and desultory vocal/melody exemplify the project’s vibe: songs that are indeed seductive yet remain peculiarly gestative, sonics that are in and of themselves winsome yet cumulatively disengaging.

Headlights represents a flirtation with commercialized approaches, with suburbanism, with, dare we say, the banal. Given Alex’s impressive record, it’s not a stretch to imagine that going forward, he’ll find a way to better reconcile the predictable and unexpected, the cliché and seminal, the well-worn and just-discovered. We can hope that with subsequent work, he’ll more thoroughly access the magic we’ve come to associate with his transportive songs and deft production style.