With the release of Kind of Light, L.A.-based retro rockers The 88 have released what could’ve been an unpretentious follow-up to the White Album: a collection of sparse, melodic, piano- and acoustic guitar-driven rock, the way nature intended. The band has been referred to elsewhere as an artsier version of The Kinks, a comparison not far off; lead vocalist Keith Slettedahl has a gorgeous voice that echoes Ray Davies and leavens the disc’s tunes with one sweet harmony after another. The 88’s sharply dressed band members have been playing small gigs and making the rounds at local clubs for quite some time now, and Kind of Light provides evidence that the band’s dues appear to have been well-paid. Their songwriting and recording chops—displayed so refreshingly self-confident here—beg not the question where have they been for the last few years, but to what destination they’re traveling.