City By the Sea

That’s right; Vinnie Caruana—former frontman of the punk-pop bands The Movielife and I Am the Avalanche—has gone solo. But while he’s swapped his electric guitar for a six-string acoustic, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. In the opening “Somehow the World Keeps Turning,” Caruana’s familiar gruff vocal tone croons over sprightly strummed guitar pop fleshed out with piano and minimal drums. But contagiously catchy hooks still dot his melodies, as with past projects. The infectious “Boy, You’re in Heaven” gets Caruana locked into double-tracked self-harmonies, which—when set against a jangling tambourine and subtle, spare piano notes—add a dimension of sophistication to his youthful songwriting style. His matured take on a jovial blueprint expands in the outstanding “To Be Dead and in Love.” This song is a live fan favorite that’s normally played with more aggression onstage. But in this studio rendition, Caruana exercises restraint, letting the instrumental arrangements fill in the cracks and pull back to add dynamics and tension.