Viva Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas is the kind of music you’d want to take on a long road trip in the middle of summer by yourself: introspective and immersing, but in a warm, sunny, feel-good way. From Madrid, Spain, these former Manta Ray members sound at points like a wide-open countryside, with that sense of moving forward, feeling fine and free. The fifth song, "Don't Run, Don't Cry,” uses a guitar twang to complement a simple yet slightly angst-y bass groove to fine, funky effect, and comes as a refreshing excuse to start moving your body after the first half of more relaxed and pure layers of piano and guitar notes. Sung mainly in Spanish, the songs sound optimistic without losing a deeply human and grounded empirical feel. Kind of like a Spanish Air, the last track ushers you out to a mellow, spacy realm, a sunnier version of one of those more drone-y Cure songs. A worthwhile listen, Viva Las Vegas reveals to you a warmer way to mellow out.