Artist Discovery Series

From end to end, and without a weak moment, Headlights’ second full-length inspires awe at how deftly the band employs bells, organ swells, orchestral flourishes and stacked, co-ed “oohs” and “aahs” for instant indie-pop bliss. Occupying territory well marked by both predecessors (Lush, Stereolab) and contemporaries (Stars, Asobi Seksu), Some Racing, Some Stopping‘s 10 tracks nonetheless stand out via good taste and attention to detail. Lyrical sentiments are appropriately soft-focused and impressionistic (“Water towers / Summer showers / Go for hours / Staring out the window”) and vocalists Tristan Wraight and Erin Fein don’t stint on the wistful melancholy in their respective, oft-intertwined deliveries. Winter-survival soundtracks don’t come much better than this. — Reid Davis