Warm Soda - Symbolic Dream (2015)

Matthew Melton goes for the hat trick on Warm Soda's third LP, Symbolic Dream. These vacuum-sealed and impeccably arranged power pop numbers are sure to please that teenage sweet tooth. With a masterful production blend of soft focus, punch, and dusty sparkle, Melton is essentially running a seminar on timeless teen-angst jams here, throwing second bridges and double choruses into the mix like it ain't nothing. The nooks and crannies of this little banger, from the subtle turnarounds to the perfect hi-hat sound, reward repeat listens. He's covering familiar bases with Symbolic Dream it's the finely tuned 80s Corvette that's gonna get your ass kicked out of school, it's your girlfriend's dad hanging up the phone, it's the world intruding on a nascent romance that just wasn't meant to last but he still keeps it fresh-faced like that new girl in AP Chemistry.