Real Estate - In Mind

After third album ‘Atlas’ proved a breakout record, the pressure was on for Real Estate. In an alternate timeline, its success could’ve prompted the band to go bigger on LP four. But Real Estate have found their niche, and they’re not about to leave it. ‘In Mind’ shows a band comfortably in their stride. In some ways, this is a good thing. Their soft-focus rock and vocal harmonies can be comforting, and tracks like ‘Stained Glass’ and ‘Two Arrows’ are calming and pastoral, with jangling guitar riffs that bring to mind sunshine and wide open spaces. ‘Two Arrows’ also touches on the band’s personal history since their last album, with lyrics about change and the possibilities of the future.

‘Two Arrows’ aside, with their personal lives in flux Real Estate seem to have doubled-down on the musically familiar. They’re at their best on ‘Serve The Song’, with it’s bubbling guitar intro and a sweet melody that belies its negative lyrics. But elsewhere the record seems to stall, as on ‘Same Sun’ and ‘White Light’. ‘In Mind’ is classic laid-back Real Estate, and while there is comfort in the familiar, at times it can feel a little lax.