Exploding Flowers: Stumbling Blocks (2020)

For some reason, a lot of the newer bands I like tend to remind me of New Zealand indie acts like the Clean and the Chills and, in this case, the Bats in particular. L.A.'s Exploding Flowers mingle that NZ garage-pop sound with the jangly retro-60s-psychedelia of 80s Paisley Underground bands like Rain Parade and the Three O'Clock and the wistful folk-tinged indie rock of the Go-Betweens. The songs tend towards gentle, mostly mid-tempo, skewed yet melodic pop, with some lingering organ strains t...