A fantastic psychedelic pop album with an illuminated spirit, Sit Outside is the latest from Care Again, a project helmed by West Coast native Brandon Kerrigan. Alongside producer Dylan Magierek (STRFKR, My Morning Jacket), Kerrigan crafted the release in southeast Portland, Oregon — implementing an array of sounds led by delightful piano-conceptualized songwriting and inventive samples, alongside melodic guitar lines and burgeoning rhythmic movements.
Described as loosely conceptual, the release has an emphasis on “youth and outside,” in particular — aptly conveying a free-spirited invigoration in its expressive, melodic vibrancy. With a sound partly inspired by Animal Collective and Panda Bear, the project excels in its thematic authenticity and call for self-discovery. “The album is about connecting with your most authentic self,” Kerrigan explains. “Finding the balance between doing what makes you happy and what will move you forward, and finding love in it all along the way.”
Opening track “Stoic” builds with a colorful, climactic intrigue. “Take a look up, and then you’ll discover that all of the trees are dancing,” the vocals exude, complemented by an ensuing bright organ that plays aptly within the frolicking, nature-friendly allure. A compelling shift at the two-minute turn ticks down the excitement, assuming a dreamier assemblance of vocal harmonies that separates enjoyable from the initial peppiness; the opener thoroughly consumes in its swell from excitable psych-pop illumination to a more reflective, slowed-down entrancement.
“Allergies” ensues, melding around a memorable “the way you love me,” refrain that enthralls in its more psychedelic ballad form, relative to the opener’s punchiness and the subsequent “Coo,” a standout that represents the album’s second single. “You wake up convoluted and you’ll start a coo,” the vocals begin there, as the instrumentation expands quickly from steady acoustics into a glistening trickle of keys. Plucky acoustics emerge again at the mid-point, building seamlessly with clap-laden anticipation into playful percussion and responsive vocal layers in the satiating conclusion. Sit Outside quickly makes a mark across these opening tracks, showing ingenuity in their engaging structural developments and dynamic tonal approach, from shimmering psychedelic pop to acoustic-set introspection.
An impressive array of atmospherics continue throughout. The tranquil “Understood” injects water-y samples into pit-pattering percussive hypnotics and subdued vocals, immersing in its contemplative flow, while “Concentrate” grows with a twinkling spirit; the title-touting escalation reminding fondly of a hazier Vampire Weekend, arriving in a joyous culmination of various vocals and jovial samples; it’s another melodic success on an album full of them.
“Muddy Melancholy” also invigorates, serving as one of the more guitar-focused tracks in its jumpy twangs and sporadic vocal lushness, culminating in a gorgeous harmonizing that sounds parts Animal Collective and Beach Boys. Sit Outside is a thorough success from Care Again, infusing strong psych-pop production amidst a poignant story of coming alive personally, via a mixture of outdoor adventuring and loving connections.
