Matt Mondanile has had much success with Real Estate, yet adulation has been piled on his solo project Ducktails. Usually delving further into sonic experimentation, yet indelibly infused with the summery rhythms that Real Estate are known for, Ducktails has been about finding the various parallels between his “day job” and other modes of expression.
On fourth LP, The Flower Lane, Mondanile has really let fly, entering into a an '80s-inspired fusion of MOR ponderings, Flying Nun dreaminess and faint disco pop overtones to create something that sounds truly separate from his band's oeuvre. Roping in a veritable who's who of supporting musicians, such as Oneohtrix Point Never's Daniel Lopatin and Cults' Madeline Follin, as well as members of Big Troubles, The Flower Lane is a well-realised pastiche of childhood influences and modern references. Opening track Ivy Covered House is particularly strong, a languorous guitar-pop gem that feels rooted in Dunedin circa 1985. The twist comes in the title track, an echoing, twanging yacht rock slow jam that mirrors Toro Y Moi's dreamier moments. Under Cover is an elongated love song to the '80s, complete with requisite cheesy sax solo; the stomping drums, fluid bass and keys of Timothy Shy throb with purpose before shattering in a shimmering chorus and crunching guitar; Letter Of Intent wallows decadently in Chromatics' bathwater, a hypnotic gem heightened by Lopatin's synth and Jessa Farkas (Future Shuttle)'s resonant, otherworldly vocals.
Mondanile has been smart enough not to eradicate all of Ducktails' past – Planet Phrom drifts with a beach-laden inertia, all guitar arpeggios and laconic vocals. But The Flower Lane succeeds because of its ambitions to explore the various lush realms of electronic pop.
