Indie pop rock with a California feel. Follow up to MCII with a new direction and sound. Cronin ditched the excitement and crusty pop feel of MCII for a huge pop sound with stadium rock-esque guitar solos (Made My Mind Up) and violin driven melodies (Turn Around) and French horn accompaniments (i. Alone). My impression is over produced power pop without solid hooks. Not as exciting as MCII, but don’t let me influence your view of it. FCC on 7. RIYL: King Tuff, Ty Segall, JEFF the Brotherhood, Kevin Morby.

1. (3:50) Turn Around. Huge sound and dramatic. Maybe a little over produced. Violin carries melody with piano and rhythm guitar grounding the verse.
2. (3:34) Made My Mind Up. Again huge sound. And maybe a little over produced. Stadium rock guitar fail.
3. (4:22) Say. Fun track with bass and wood block intro. Transition from build is a loud and excessive synth blast. Oscillates between driving bass line of build and huge sound with stadium rock-esque guitar solos and horn sections.
4. (3:59) Feel like. Mellow and pretty acoustic guitar intro. Build is huge with melodramatic lyrics “I feel like I’m dying”. Huge sustained power chords with rhythm guitar plugging away. Bridge is also huge.
5. (3:44) I’ve Been Loved. Acoustic guitar with cello. Cronin’s tone is desperate and full of longing.
6. (3:27) i. Alone. Intro is like a movie sound track. Transitions into strumming on an acoustic guitar accompanied by French horn and Cronin’s melancholy lyrics. Pretty.
7. (3:43) ii. Gold. (FCC Fuck) Pounding bass and snare drums. Busy song with odd juxtaposition of Cronin’s Falsetto and soaring guitar. Transitions into Cronin playing a tzoura (stringed instrument from Greece).
8. (3:10) iii. Control. Sound is less big but still over produced. Acoustic guitar and distorted vocals. “I need some control, oo ooo”. Another soaring electric guitar solo.
9. (3:46) iv. Ready. Hard rocker of the album. Driving drums. Gets a little noisy. Okay song.
10. (2:10) v. Different. Dreamy vocals over horns and strings. Violins shine through but cello and French horn in the lower registers.
11. (3:44) vi. Circle. Acoustic guitar intro, a little folk element. Heavy crunchy hooks to pull you in then reverby piano between hook and verse. Pretty song. Way to much is happening. Feels busy when trying to be pretty.