Before embarking on a full review of repeat repeat‘s latest full-length release, Glazed, it should be made clear that I’ve listened to 2017’s Floral Canyon, 2014’s Bad Latitude and all the singles in between many many times. This is not so much to establish that my bias is that of long-standing fan but, rather, as someone that has voluntarily enjoyed everything they’ve released; even those lost to the fickle history of the Internet.

Glazed is the second release from the band on Dangerbird Records and the first to be produced by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. From the first moment the lead single “Hi, I’m Waiting” starts to play, it is clear that the band has opened themselves up to new styles. If you’ve been paying attention for any amount of time, that should come as no surprise. Early releases leaned hard into a Surf Rock hybrid, where more recent releases dabbled in Bombastic Dance Rock (don’t believe me? Go back and listen to “Animal”). Glazed softens the bands lean into a particularly distinct genre but maintains their laser focus on high-energy, memorably catchy, pop songs.

“Apocalyptic” is an absolutely elated bopper of a love song told through the lens of the end the world. “I Could Hear My Heart Beating” is one of the tensest moments of the record, seemingly told through clenched teeth and a thousand yard stare. “Can’t Shake This” is the closest the band has ever been to The Faint, minus the vocoder but rife with neck swerving grooves.

Every track on the record could have some absurd, overly sincere, description attached to them but that’s simply credit to the visceral reactions they stir. It’s not about the style of the guitar as much as it is how captivating the song is. Glazed has that in spades. Treat yourself to multiple listens at high volume to get the full experience.

It’s a lazy tendency for music journalists (and fans) to hold a recent release up to prior releases to see how they compare and contrast. If you loved the previous album, how will you feel about the newest album? However, the question to be asking is, if you loved all of the prior releases, how will you feel about the newest album? Fortunately, the answer is You Will Feel Great.

Last we checked in on the works of Charlie Abbott, he had released an album entitled Nirvana that sounded, quite intentionally, like an ode to the grunge movement’s primary ringleader. Since that release in early 2018, Abbot released two additional records; mise en place, a collection of nine rock songs brimming with restraint and breezy hooks and the Technicolor Dream EP, four songs of feel good pop-rock and one high-energy blast of summertime vibes.

All that catch-up is to give some context that Abbott isn’t afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve but also isn’t lacking in embracing different styles. So, with the premiere of his brand new track “Ugly Little Sunflower” we get a taste of what he has in store for his forthcoming album of the same name set for release this summer.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, this new track continues the trend of keeping things fresh, stylistically. The press release informs us that the recording was produced by Don Bates and that “Almost all of the tracking was single takes, even the vocals.” While that statement would generally sound cautious alarm bells, it gives the bombastic energy of the track a looseness that makes it fun, instead of the presumed train wreck it might be. The video is an equally enjoyable romp, depicting Abbot and a masked thief making their way through various East Nashville landmarks.

There’s no telling what the full Ugly Little Sunflower record has in store but there’s a promise of “baritone and seven-string guitars in a kamikaze approach to bastardize blues guitar” that sounds nothing short of perfectly intriguing.