Released: 19 Apr 2019
Label: Casa De Lopez
Listen on Bandcamp
This is a beautiful record from last year which sadly passed me by and has only just reached my ears. Sofa City Sweetheart, from L.A, is the work of Juan Antonio Lopez. His sound is reminiscent of Elliott Smith and The Beach Boys.
'The Same Old Song (You Were Always on my Mind)' starts off the album. It is a love song with heartfelt lyrics and sweet, delicate vocals. The song takes a heavier turn towards the end.
'Stanley Waited' demonstrates superb character-based storytelling, reminiscent of The Kinks. 'Annie Stays Home' has some gorgeous vocal harmonies and there is something heartbreaking about it.
'Does This Path Have A Heart?' is an epic, 8 minute long instrumental in the middle of the album. The main focus of it, strangely enough, is Lopez' vocals as a series of oohs. No words are actually spoken. The strings and guitars come in, and finally piano bringing it to an impressive end. The result is stunning and could easily be from a film soundtrack.
'Stop The Thinking' is Power Pop at its finest and has fantastic hooks. There is a real sense of fun and it even has mariachi style trumpets. My favourite song here is the closer 'So Long/Lucky Enuff'. It is highly emotional, bringing to mind Elliott Smith's Waltz #1. On the whole, this is a truly amazing album, well worth investigating.
