Lo Tom

Where the heck does David Bazan find the time? In the midst of multiple album releases and an endless living room tour, he’s started Lo Tom, a supergroup that’ll touch old fans’ nostalgia buttons. Bazan has teamed up with fellow Pedro the Lioner TW Walsh, and Starflyer 59’s Trey Many and Jason Martin, to create just about exactly what a fan of those groups would assume: early 2000s throwback indie-rock. The songs on this debut were written over two weekends, then put aside and finally recorded in spare time with little expectation. That lack of pressure is palpable on the record: It’s the spontaneous energy of four old friends who’ve spent decades honing their craft coming together on solid songs. The no-frills feel comes out lyrically as well, such as on “Overboard” when Bazan ends with, “Some weak shit that I don’t need/I don’t wanna go overboard.” There are no surprises here, and that’s why it’s so great.