Gardens & Villa
Music for Dogs
SECRETLY CANADIAN
6/10
A year and a half after Dunes, Gardens & Villa have returned with their solid third album Music for Dogs. “Maximize Results,” the LP’s first full track, is an absolute banger. The tune is catchy, but still dark enough to make you have that panicky feeling in a good way (thanks to some clutch Suicide overtones). After that initial shot of adrenaline, the album lulls listeners into a dreamy space land full of atmospheric pop, including the ethereal single “Fixations.” The shadowy ’80s vibes present in the beginning of Music for Dogs reemerge with “Express”—two minutes and forty seconds of entrancing and somewhat soothing eeriness. With its decent balance of pop’s infectious levity and the dangerous appeal of doom and gloom, Music for Dogs evokes strange emotions. While the LP is definitely satisfying, it’s hard to feel like you’re on Gardens & Villa’s wavelength. Maybe the frequency is just too high for us.
