This is no Halcyon Digest or Monomania. Fading Frontier moves beyond Deerhunter's two most recent albums to a sound that's more Shiny Happy People than, say, Everybody Hurts. (Not that there isn't a darkness throughout the lyrics.)
With the release of this album frontman Bradford Cox revealed his "concept map", an interactive guide to those things influencing him at the time of writing. Next to Tom Petty on the map lies Deerhunter's fellow Georgia natives REM, with a link to Fall on Me.
It's no coincidence Fading Frontier has been called their most accessible album yet. And it is easier listening, without being easy listening. Ad Astra could be from Tame Impala's latest album, while jingle jangle opener All The Same is pretty familiar territory.
The slow funk of Snakeskin livens up proceedings while the sunny, warm Breaker's virtually a member of the Teenage Fanclub. If you're new to Deerhunter Fading Frontier is the perfect introduction.
