Album Review: California Wives - Art History

California Wives' lead singer Jayson Kramer was supposed to be a doctor. But in 2009, after feeling as though he'd been 'asleep for years', Kramer left medicine to start a band. Good move.

The band says its debut, Art History, is an ode to their love of both electronic and the more traditional instruments. Ya know, acoustic guitars?

The taut, frantic disco guitar of opener, Blood Red Youth is pure indie pop, but although they hit the mark straight out of the gates, the sound slowly begins to lose steam. Art History is as smooth as the hazy late afternoon sun. A drowsy Kramer whispers most of the lyrics across '80s synthboards and plucked guitars.

A break in protocol in The Fisher King, however, sees a smattering of steady drums before a light calypso synth-wave crashes over. An '80s fever takes over once more on Photolights, with soaring atmospheric electronics and Kramer's hushed vocals.

Purple is popalicious (yes, really) and so happily indie it's positively made to be blasted while tearing down the highway on some raucous road trip, while electro-pop makes its triumphant return in Better Home.

In all its fuzz, glazed, atmospheric glory, the album fails to leave any indelible mark. It's all a little much of the same. The album needs a long, deep listening to before Kramer's secretive sounds finally reveal themselves, which is kind of a pity, because lyrically there is some beautiful stuff in there – “Looking through the looking glass/In the hand of a liar” – it's just too overproduced and too over-synthesised to hear it.