Flowertown

***From a deckhand on a container ship idling in the bay, an excitable beachgoer, or a rubbernecker passing through an intersection: it’s as if you’re floating around the city, people-watching through a soft focus lens. FLOWERTOWN, the San Francisco duo of KARINA GILL (CINDY) and MIKE RAMOS, return with the dreamy, temperate, Half Yesterday. Flowertown’s previous album, Time Trials, focused on the slowing down of time, shutdowns, and a somber look at our day-to-day thoughts. But with over-the-shoulder observations, a ‘slice of life’ from one onlooker to the next, “Half Yesterday” seems to tell the story of the people in a living, thriving, city. Twangy lead guitar, high-neck bass notes, and percussion woven together in the decay of a warm reverb. The album contains the familiar vocal trade-offs between Mike and Karina; oftentimes coming up with two separate melodies for their respective vocals. One stark difference is the beautifully simple production across all of the tracks. Previous Flowertown recordings leaned on the “Portastudio as an instrument” production for many of the songs. On Half Yesterday the tape hiss is there, but it’s not altering the end result. With a fading pink and blue sky, the city’s lights begin to twinkle at sunset. Another onlooker gazes out and wonders if what they’re seeing is right.