Livingmore - Take Me (2021)

If the purpose of an album is to have as many hits on it as possible, then the Los Angeles indie group Livingmore’s second album, Take Me, out via Nomad Eel Records, succeeds with flying colours. Every single one of the eleven songs on this phenomenal record sounds like it could be a fan favourite and huge pop radio hit.

The name “Livingmore” is a portmanteau of the surnames of Spencer Livingston and Alex Moore, the band’s founding members. As the band’s primary songwriters, they really have the knack for creating infectious earworms down to a craft. With both individually possessing a plethora of musical knowledge that they combine and bring to the table, they are seamlessly able to create hooky chord progressions, beautiful melodies, and hypnotic choruses for each song.

An important aspect for their songwriting working as well as it does is that the musicians in Livingmore all understand the virtue of restraint. In addition to Livingston and Moore, bassist Rodrigo Moreno and drummer Mike Schadel are as equally committed to utilising their abilities to serve the songs, rather than to serve their egos. This is admirable, because for many musicians there is an instinct to add in bass fills or drum breakdowns or guitar solos to illustrate their dexterity and skill, rather than because it fulfils a purpose towards making the music the best that it can be. It is already clear from the songs themselves that each bandmember is a more than proficient musician, without the need to overperform.

The first single and opening song off the album is “Sharp”, and your enjoyment of that song is going to be contingent upon your enjoyment of the Blondie songs “Heart of Glass” and “Union City Blue”, because it is essentially an amalgamation of those two songs. Ironically, considering that it was pushed as the primary sampler for the album, “Sharp” may be one of the album’s weakest offerings. Its retro post-disco vibe does serve for a good time, but, ultimately, it fails to demonstrate just how good the album can be.

The follow-up single, “Got Me Feelin’ Like”, is a much better representation of the album. The song is mesmerising and unbelievably catchy. It is a song that will enter into your residual memory for your brain to begin playing arbitrarily. Additionally, it subtly shows the skills of the musicians involved in a non-flashy way that doesn’t distract from the song. In addition to the singles released, “Closer”, “Dramatic”, “Bummer”, and “I Know It’s a Smile” are some choice cuts that are worth checking out. They all offer the same danceable vitality and catchy choruses that is custom for the album, but each in a unique and distinct manner.

The entire album has a beautiful, dreamlike sensibility to it. In both music and lyrics, it treads between sweet and sombre with great execution and features an almost chillwave-esque production at times. Take Me showcases just how good alternative and indie music can still be; and Livingmore have created a masterful work with it. It is an absolute pleasure to listen to, again and again.