Tomorrow's Tulips

When

BY Lisa SookrajPublished Oct 3, 2014

5
On their third release, Costa Mesa's Tomorrow's Tulips (led by singer Alex Knost, ex-pro surfer and former member of Japanese Motors) show their adoration of underground alternative of the past with their bummer-pop stylings. When strives for a less noisy Pavement/Eric's Trip meets the Velvet Underground kind of sound.

It's not surprising, then, that "Surplus Store" brings the Dandy Warhols to mind. Unfortunately, the slacker feel seems to serve as a justification for an overall lack of lyrical or compositional chops and vocals that don't hit the mark ("Downturned Self Pity"). The album is uniform, the majority of songs unmemorable. The ones that do stick aren't particularly original, either — familiar chord progressions abound, as on the sleepy closer "Confetti and Glue" and opener "Baby." Tomorrow's Tulips try to replicate slacker style on When, but they lack the songwriting skills necessary to pull it off.
(Burger Records)

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