So Many Wizards - Warm Nothing

Firm favourites amongst the LA DIY scenesters, So Many Wizards’ debut album ‘Warm Nothing’ has been hotly anticipated. After a couple of years of a lot of surf-pop, lo-fi rock music, spewed from and celebrated by the LA music community, this album runs the risk of sounding just a little too familiar. Frontman Nima Kazerouni’s falsetto might also sound a bit much, given the recent rediscovery of post-castration singing by many male vocalists.

It’s OK, though, because So Many Wizards have made an album which is only thirty lovely minutes long with falsetto numbers nicely interspersed with Kazerouini’s arguably more pleasant man-voice; both of these things nicely eliminate boredom or too much sameness.

The songs are dreamy and uplifting; they almost make it feel sunny outside when it isn’t (even though it is today). Given Kazerouini’s extraordinary and turbulent past, his songs are remarkably free from anxiety and promote a life without stress. Early releases ‘Lose Your Mind’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ are album highlights, as is opener ‘Never Wake Up’ and super-sweet light-hearted penultimate track ‘I Like It Here’.

The record can sound repetitive on a first listen, but albums often do if bands have a well-established sound and a distinctive vocalist. On further listens, it’s full of beautiful corners, self-contained moments of sleepy, very happy sentiment.