Real Estate – Atlas

New York – Amid the sea of lo-fi, guitar-glossed beach wave genres that rose to popularity within the last decade, Real Estate is a group with a sound that soars above the rest. With melodies that amble with calm grace, these artists have always offered us something worth ruminating to. The cornerstone of their sound is tenderly, intricately layered guitar work. At once voluminous and tangible, Real Estate’s melodies are prismatic. Their latest release, Atlas, is no exception to their remarkability.

The group from the beginning was vocalist and guitarist Martin Courtney, guitarist Matt Mondanile (of Ducktails), bassist Alex Bleeker and percussionist Etienne Pierre Duguay. However, the roster has seen a bit of turnover as the group evolved.

After Courtney finished his studies at Evergreen State College in Washington, he returned home to Ridgewood, New Jersey. During the summer of 2008, Real Estate began gigging and released their debut EP, “Reality,” in 2009. The group’s first, self-titled, LP followed that fall via Woodsist. Signing onto Domino Records in 2011, they released their sophomore album, Days, on October 18th.

Around this time, Duguay left the band, making way for percussionist Jackson Pollis to join the bill. Jonah Maurer also jumped in to support the gang on layered guitars and keyboards. For their latest, Maurer stepped out and Matt Kallman filled the vacancy.

The recording of this record took place over the course of two weeks, at Wilco’s Loft (swoon) in Chicago. Producer Tom Schick, who has worked on records for Mavis Staples, Low and Rufus Wainwright, lent his skills to the process. In the days, weeks, months and years leading up to this release, the group devoted its fair share of time to life on the road. Having toured extensively (including stints to support Kurt Vile, Woods, Girls and Deerhunter), their former tour van, lovingly nicknamed “Reality,” racked up 222,731 plus miles. That’s a lot of time spent on the move, and it’s a figure that underscores this group’s dedication to their profession.

January 13^th saw the debut of “Talking Backwards,” the first single made available from Atlas. The album at large was released on March 4^th in the US, their second LP via Domino Records. An official video accompanied “Talking Backwards,” and the piece feels like a day in the life of a musician’s grind. Like a bird’s eye view of the recording studio, Real Estate invites us to peek behind the curtain of what shaped up to be a fabulously crafted LP.

“Had To Hear” kicks off the album with the lolling guitar rifts characteristic of this band. Tracks like “Past Lives,” “The Bend” and “Navigator” are the mellowest. The perfect compliment to gazing out a rainy bus window, these songs inspire a running jump into solipsism. “Talking Backwards” gives the album a healthy pulse, while “How Might I Live” will make the heart explode in nostalgia. Arguably, “Primitive” is the sleeper track on this album. Like a secret agent, it quietly incorporates an unassuming baseline that calls to mind longing, rogue dudes on ranches and wide-open space. “Primitive” feels like the torrid ballad of a self-made man, or the mantra of an emotionally available cowboy.

The harmonies of this album at large trickle down from a gentle stream to a veritable waterfall of blissed-out, lustrous composition. As the saying goes, “still waters run deep,” and what appears calm on the surface ultimately gives way to deeply-developed, emotive lyricism.

For established fans of Real Estate, this album will not disappoint. However, enjoying this group’s work necessitates a meditative mind, the kind of conscious that thrives on unhurried atmospheres. If you can appreciate the relaxed soundscapes this group is capable of crafting, you’ll be rewarded by melodic trajectories that amble like a coastal stroll.

Real Estate began their North American tour on February 28^th at Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco. They will make their way across the nation and up through Canada during the month of March, and are scheduled to end their tour trek at Webster Hall in New York on April 5^th. In the spirit of evolution, and as a happy side note, Courtney will become a father this coming May. It’s safe to say that Courtney’s unborn kid is on deck for a childhood full of professional-grade lullabies.

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Liz Rowley

Born in Mexico and raised in Toronto, Jerusalem and Chicago by a pair of journalists, Liz comes to BestNewBands.com with an inherited love of writing. After discovering a niche for herself in music journalism and radio while at Bates College in Maine, she always keeps a running playlist of new music to soundtrack her place in the world. Liz is passionate about helping dedicated, talented musicians gain the exposure they deserve. A recent transplant to Brooklyn from Hawaii, she is plagued by an incurable case of wanderlust and cursed with an affinity for old maps and old things like typewriters and vintage books. She adores photography and running and is very good with plants. Having come of age in Chicago, Wilco speaks to her soul. If she could be anything, she would be a cat in a Murakami novel.