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A new album release from Kristofer Axén brings out a warm and welcoming soiree of pop in the form of tracks that feel progressive, cinematic, experimental, and at times even semi-theatrical.

Sun Pie is an album that holds a few surprises around its corners, especially on the production and songwriting side of things.

One of the things I love about this record is its incredible blend of natural instrumentation. You have acoustic and electric guitars throughout the record that each give a certain tonality and aesthetic.

The vocals are also a bit colorful and have a certain vibrancy to them but tell stories as well. So, you find yourself paying attention to the lyrics and seeing how songs may interconnect with each other as if it were a concept record.

I definitely enjoyed some of the stories told here and how there's so much harmonious melody blended into each individual track and as a whole record, it serves as a wonderful sort of escape into someone else's world.

There's something so breezy about this record. You can tell a lot of songs came from an honest place, but there's also this sort of summer vibe to the record that fits perfectly, and at times, there are songs that can even give you bouts of nostalgia simply from the lyrics and tone of the song.

The record starts with a track called "The Coincidence of Seeing", which blends some of the acoustic and electric guitars to create an indie rock sort of backbone but also a bit of contemporary underbelly as well.

I definitely like that combination because it has a subtlety or softness to it, as much as a rock aspect.

The guitar work across this whole record is outstanding, but this track is a great job of sort of introducing you to the album as a whole.

This is a record that you should want to listen to all the way through.

It's a pretty big album, and there's a lot to say, but it feels good to just swim through this whole record in one shot.

There are certainly songs that stand on their own two feet very well as singles, but there's something about the record that tells you it's meant to be listened to from start to finish.

Tracks like "Majestic" can blend a roots folk feel with a heavier rock tone, and I find things like that outstanding because you just don't think of those two elements together in one song.

These are the kind of surprises that I meant. The kind of things that pop out at you and let you start to begin to expect the unexpected along the way.

Tracks like "No Such Place" feature horns and a boppier sort of beat bringing out loads of color, character, and brightness.

So, as I mentioned before, there are a lot of things going on throughout the records unfolding, and there will be a handful of tracks that you want to listen to twice in a row just because you want to soak it all in again.

This is an album that means something. It's got a depth to it, came from someplace real, and there's loads of heart embedded in its veins.

No matter what you're listening to on this record, there's always this sort of graceful pop overcoat. There's a reason to get up and dance or take in the brightly displayed aesthetic that songs give off.

You can tell there was a lot of attention to detail during the creation of this record. The arrangements are incredible and give songs a progressive flow at times, but no matter what, it never loses that heart or personality throughout the whole thing, and that may be the most important aspect of it all.

There's something for everyone here. Songs you can dance around the living room to sing along with, sit and listen to, or just so can.

This is the kind of record that I suggest listening to with headphones on. There are plenty of textural layers happening in different songs throughout the album, so listening with headphones lets you really pick up on all of that stuff.

This is important too. There was also attention to detail when it came to the production of the record.

It feels clean, spotless, a little shimmering, and well thought out.

But again, it's the personality that reaches out and grabs you.

I will once again suggest listening to this record in full.

You get a lot out of the full album.

Either way, check this one out, put on some headphones, and just jive with these tunes because if you listen to this record first thing in the morning, it's going to set your mood for the entire day.

Remember where you heard this first.

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