Summer at Land's End

Recording information: San Francisco (2020).Photographer: Glenn Donaldson.In a very short time, the Reds, Pinks & Purples have made a case for themselves as the foremost inheritors of the super-sensitive, reverb-besotted indie pop mantle held at various times by Felt or the Field Mice. Now, Glenn Donaldson's band stands head and slumped shoulders above everyone else plying a similar trade. The three albums the RP&Ps released before 2022's Summer at Land's End were home-crafted miniatures of majestically felt emotional distress, underwater guitar jangle, and the kind of melodies you'd beat up your best friend for in a heartbeat. This record is more of the same but a little different, too. Previously, each bitter, tear-stained song tended to run into each other like an unbroken tale of heartache and woe. Not a terrible thing to be sure; in fact, the enveloping nature of the melancholy was one of the strongest selling points. Here, Donaldson seems to have placed extra care in not