Though Espinoza's trademark hushed vocals and flickering piano lines are still present, the spectrum of his songwriting has opened up into a lushly arranged wall of somber sound. Several tracks would certainly feel right at home on earlier releases, like the straight-ahead, mid-tempo rocker "Nevermind the Phonecalls." But the album's opening opus, "Fakey Fake," showcases Earlimart's growth. A descending acoustic guitar line provides the bed under Espinoza's delay-soaked whisper, before pounding drums seem to decay and the song teeters toward implosion. This inspired trajectory continues with bass player Ariana Murray's turn at the microphone on "Happy Alone," a Wilco-esque romp powered by tinkling ivories, and the delicately punkish "Everybody Knows Everybody." Earlimart's simultaneously dreary and euphonious new vision builds upon its time-tested, stripped-down chamber pop, a feat that its associates would certainly smile upon.
