2Me

The summer party eventually had to end. After their 2006 release, Schizophrenic Love Songs, 2Me enjoyed the unofficial status of Sacramento’s boys of summer for three years. Now, after losing two band members, the group’s latest CD presents a side of the local favorites that we haven’t seen. Like the 5 a.m. quiet after a raucous party, Chasing Silhouettes reveals strangely beautiful images, yearning remembrances and uneasy hopes for the new day. Fans will find the familiar lyrical and musical build-ups in a few tracks (bar favorite, “Bed Bug”) but it’s the reserved moments, new territory for 2Me, which really surprise and delight. “Tonight,” a duet between lead singer Christopher Twomey and guest Katie Jane (female vocals are another first for 2Me), is amazing in its simplicity. Raw and vulnerable but sweet and tender, the song has a sad optimism that permeates the album. Even “Nashville,” a song that lays out grand dreams for the future, approaches the world with an amiable resignation. Twomey and Reid Foster still rock a live show, but Silhouettes shows they’re more than just party boys.