The Olms | pt

It was in this quintessentially Southern California idyll that King and singer-songwriter Pete Yorn recorded their self-titled debut album as The Olms. And the laid-back, eclectic surroundings inform everything about the record, especially its free-wheeling sound, which melds folk, rock, country-rock, and Brit pop, thanks to jangly acoustic guitar, wistful melodies, radiant harmonies, and unexpected instrumental flourishes. Songs like the strummy “Wanna Feel It” and “Someone’s Else’s Girl” glow with a lush ’60s vibe, while the honky-tonk-ish “On The Line” shows the duo’s harder-rocking side with hints of psychedelic organ. “The album has an old-sounding feel, but I feel like it still sounds really fresh,” Yorn says. “It sounds uniquely like us and a hybrid of our influences, from my love of Brit-pop and groups like The Beach Boys and The Kinks, to J.D.’s love for British Invasion bands like The Animals, as well as bluegrass and country music.”

What keeps The Olms from sounding too retro-minded is its lyrics, which brim with personality and dark humor. The King-penned and sung “She Said No” tells a morbid tale of a murder suicide. (“I have no trouble taking on different personas to tell a story,” King says.) Beneath its breezy surface, “Wanna Feel It” addresses feelings of numbness and apathy. “What Can I Do” might be upbeat musically, but is essentially about two people stuck with each other until one of them dies. “A lot of songs written in the ’60s were very lyrically idealistic,” Yorn says. “It’d be like ‘I love you and we ended up happily ever after,’ whereas I’m always thinking about the day after they ride off into the sunset, when it’s three weeks later and they’re sick of each other.” .