Around Sound

The second solo record by Mike Polizze of Philadelphia psych-squallers Purling Hiss and Birds of Maya, a rainier and more pensive affair than its predecessor—despite its playful humor and plentiful hooks—affirms his status as a consummate (and now not-so-secret) craftsman of instantly memorable bucolic odes of languid beauty, deepening his fingerstyle acoustic guitar magic and finally manifesting the title of the classic Hiss anthem “Run from the City.”He’s uncovered a rich seam of songwriting, classic-sounding yet modern, unquestionably nostalgic in temperament but undeniably vital ... Even when he’s at his most melancholy and hangdog, the songs themselves gleam like diamonds. – UncutThe sound of the record approaches bliss: the sonic equivalent of a beer on the beach at sunset. It flows like a well-conceived song cycle and moves gracefully from one thought to the next. – PitchforkExquisitely beautiful … It has the wondrous, enveloping quality of a daydream. – American SongwriterI love this music so much ... So many of these songs give me chills. – Kurt Vile