Album Review: Ducktails - St Catherine

Ducktails is the solo project of Real Estate guitarist Matt Mondanile, but actually predates that band (and now leads the album tally five long-players to three).

For nearly a decade Mondanile has been producing a distinctive brand of shimmering, melodic indie pop that was originally resolutely lo-fi but on St Catherine is beginning to embrace studio sheen to great effect (helped in mixing by noted producer Rob Schnapf). Lyrical themes of displacement mirror Mondanile's recent shift from NYC to LA, and the music's summery tinge also feels more west coast than east.