Music review: Casa Murilo – 鈥楽ummer 1998′
As Labor Day quickly approaches, summer begins a methodical retreat in all its shimmering glory. As a kid, I always loved summer. Freedom was truly mine as I could hang with my buddies without the worry of school responsibilities or weekday curfews that restricted any sort of mischief.
While I still possess the same enthusiasm for summer as a fully functioning adult, I must confess that the summer of 2020 will go down in history as a cruel and unforgiving journey that left me scratching my head during most days, wondering out loud about what next misfortune would arrive at my doorstep.
Casa Murilo鈥檚 fourth release is a charming and nostalgic exercise in remembering the sights, sounds, smells and feelings experienced during one perfect summer that highlighted 1998.
Penned during the isolation of the pandemic, 鈥淪ummer 1998鈥� is the Norway-based band鈥檚 love letter about the warm days of leisure.
Described as Norwegian indie at its finest, I couldn鈥檛 help but dive right in to see what all the excitement was about surrounding this new release. Strange how Norwegian indie sounds exactly like Britpop.
Lockdown Lofi is the term the band uses to describe the production style that simplistically features laptops and USB microphones with the band members each recording their parts separately at home.
The opening track perfectly sums up the sheer satisfaction demonstrated upon the appearance of the first day of summer as the band declares, 鈥淚t always starts the same way/The sun is always shining/There鈥檚 something in the air/This is your summer arriving.鈥� It harkens back to a simpler time when summer seemed like it would never end and each day turned out better than the last.
Of course, romance always seems sweeter when it鈥檚 a summer love. Tracks like 鈥淵ounger Then鈥� and 鈥淭he 132 to Hempstead Valley Drive鈥� capture that special period in time when a budding relationship consumed our entire existence. Teenage love has a way of making time stand still as various scenarios are played out and become mental snapshots that will forever be stored as a precious memory.
鈥淎stra鈥� details the refreshing feeling of freedom found while driving the family car on steamy evenings that encourage aimless joyriding on a full tank of gas with all the windows down, radio cranked and partners in crime occupying every open seat.
鈥淪ummer Love鈥� brings the album to a tender sunset with the realization that a summer love never really fades away.
For the record, my one perfect summer occurred in 1978. As a teenager, the world was a blank canvas awaiting splashes of vivid color delivered with reckless abandon.
Thanks to Casa Murilo, we can temporarily forget the stress of the last few months as we pause and recall our best summer ever.