This marks the indie pop singer's 6th album. It's the third we have reviewed here. 'Eclipse" has been my favorite. This album finds another step away from the 80s sounds that made that album great. "Good Times" could almost be any pop artist on the radio, if they go serious, stepped away from hip-hop influenced beats, and used actual instruments. Here lies the problem for an artist who creates a perfect album like "Eclipse". The expectations are set higher since you have shown me you are capable of being more. Perhaps you might have the same level of inspiration or want to be shackled to making the same album twice, which is not what I am asking here.
In fact, I am pretty content with the minimalist instrumentation to "As Soon As You Can' as the vocal lines work well enough. But I know he can write more breathtaking hooks. He has made more compelling grooves as well. Is it more experimental than his past work? Sure, but that is not playing to his strengths. There is more feeling invested in the vocals of 'Funny Games'. The title track feels like an experimental idea of a song that was never fleshed out. The stripped-down nature of "You Already Know" makes it almost feel more like a demo, though the emotion he invests in the song is what makes it work.
"Maybe It's Time" is another ballad that seems to be the dominant mood of this album. The song does gain some movement. There is a twang to the guitar on this song that brings the hint of an influence I heard earlier in the album more into the spotlight. "Emily" finds him back in a very similar sonic place, highlighting the fact that this album could use a greater range of dynamics, as he is keeping everything in the same mood/. He is using the ghost of auto-tune as an effect rather than relying on it to stay in key, as we already know he can sing.
"Permanent Feeling' hovers around the established sonic boundaries he has set for himself on this album. In a different context, it might make a song like this stand out more than being on an album where everything is lingering in this mood. He did not need to do a great deal to switch it up at this point; even dropping a beat would have worked. Meeting at the intersection of gospel and country music is an interesting place for him, but he keeps approaching the songs from the same angle. I'll have to round this one down to an 8.5, as it's dynamically flat, but sung with a great deal of heart.
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