El Perro Del Mar — The Valley To The Stars

One word consistently springs to mind while listening to the follow-up to El Perro Del Mar's acclaimed, self-titled debut: churchly. Yeah, it's not one that sends people running to the stores, but hear me out. With a church organ serving as a musical lynchpin, the album is imbued with a sense of somber solemnity, but hinges on a sense of hope and faith rather than depressive woe. Bookended by the hymn-like choral numbers "Jubilee" and "Your Name Is Neverending," El Perro's Sarah Assbring eases into her sonic conceptions with the swinging girl-group melodies best known from her previous release, such as "You Can't Steal A Gift" before moving off into songs that take on a mantra-like form ("Happiness Won Me Over"), relying on repetitive intoned lyrics and bare-bones organ work. It's beautifully rendered, but a bit arduous at times. The sunny pop of "Somebody's Baby" is a welcome break near the end. However, Assbring's delicate, babydoll vocals and melodic sensibilities will remind fans of why they fell in love in the first place.