Kiley Lotz isn't a household name, but in a post-Courtney-Barnett world, her low-key windows-down-on-a-sunny-drive pop rock could legitimately make her one (here's looking at you Ellen). Fair enough, too. You try making a joyride of an album while living in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Lotz's like-you're-there lyrical descriptions and classic indie/emo* arrangements hit all the right notes to make you feel. That's it. Just feel. Usually good, too. Lotz sings with a straightforward earnestness that sounds dated in the best way. Like Lisa Hatfield or Nina Gordon (when she doesn't do the "rock" voice), Lotz's voice is disarming and full of charm.
The songs pull from the best bits of Jimmy Eat World, the Promise Ring, and [insert your favorite "their songs just get me" band from high school], delivering the pop-punk/powerpop/jangle rock mashup that made the genre(?) so immediately accessible. Even the album's idiosyncrasies (namely, the odd duck tune "Nature") feel pulled straight from the 90s/00s, though you can't really put your finger on why. The essential part, which is also the most impressive, is that none of the sound feels put on. As a matter of fact, nothing on the album seems all that intentional. In almost every way, the songs come across like they could only be presented the way they are. That's pretty incredible for a 2015 album that might sound to some like the Felicity Season 2 soundtrack.
For all of Lotz's introspection, which definitely makes the album feel deeply personal, it all sounds breezy and fun. A rare feat that is all the more impressive coming from an artist that's been open about her anxiety. And, again, lives in Pennsylvania.
High Points: "Tommy", "Camera Lens II"
*Apparently, enough time has passed to make emo revivalism a thing now. Seriously.