Review: Secret Annexe The Nights Are Growing Long

Secret Annexe has come a long way from their beginnings as a sprawling septet a few years ago. The population still hovers around six, but the confines of their songs are tighter and more focused than ever on their new EP, The Nights are Growing Long. The five songs here glow with a newfound intimacy … soft, chugging, intricate melodies given a distinctive texture by Kelly Stone’s viola. “Wordless” opens the set as a showcase for the band’s confidence; the singing is tighter and braver, the instrumental parts tightly wound around a chorus with the telling sentiment, “It’s time to start sobering up.”

“Henny Penny” is a dreamy little pop number filigreed with mandolin and flute like a Belle & Sebastian song. “The Sea in China” emphasizes the darker textures this band has grown into. My favorite tune, though, is the chipper orchestral pop of the album closer “Thirty Soon,” a tongue-in-cheek swipe at the dreams of adulthood and the realities that make those dreams such a struggle, cast against effortless musical buoyancy. Bands. They grow up so fast these days. secretannexe.net

Recommended if you like: Fleetwood Mac, the Jayhawks, being too cool to really be an adult

Essential Tracks: “Thirty Soon,” “Wordless”