Say Hi

This is Seattle-based Say Hi's sixth record, and first for indie label Barsuk, and like the band's previous releases (some under the moniker Say Hi to Your Mom) it's mostly light, pleasant stuff. Also like the band's previous work, this release was written, performed and recorded in Eric Elbogen's basement by Elbogen himself. That the resulting work is perhaps a little too easily absorbed, in an in-one-ear-out-the-other sort of way, may have nothing to do with Elbogen being the sole creator. But it might. A few tunes do stand out: the throbbing "Dramatic Irony" has both momentum and melody, while the clap-happy "One, Two… One" is worthy of the kind of pop worship lent by appearances in hip commercials or in the climax scenes of teen dramas — in the best way. Still, six records in, Say Hi seems to be stuck in an infinite loop of listenable, "drop in, tune out" lo-fi. But then again, maybe that's where they want to be.