Lumineers — Brightside (CS)

Limited Edition Cassette Coming off the success of their darkly cinematic third record, Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites’ latest work is their most spontaneous and joyous yet, featuring their ever-more-sophisticated songwriting and arranging, plus production from longtime producer and friend Simone Felice. The lead single and title track “Brightside,” recorded in just one day, sets off the album with an anthemic bang, touching on themes of love and American life, and featuring the foot-stomping, arena-filling sound the band has become beloved for worldwide. “... this time it was bare bones,” Schultz says. “We started demoing in Jer’s basement and didn’t even touch the computer — we just used my phone to record voice memos on, and that was what we sent to Simone. For me, it was about wanting to have more curiosity in the studio and not have everything all dialed in. It felt like a new path.” Released: 1/14/22