There’s a smattering of genre-influences on Something Softly Caught Me, the new album by north Jersey indie outfit Quality Living, that really don’t make sense on paper, yet congeal over the record’s half-hour runtime to make for an energetic, incredibly fun listen. Namely, the crux of Something lies in Quality Living’s synthesis of slack jawed 90s alternative with the blue tones of late 70s-early 80s jazz rock, making for an LP that modulates between being both fast and loose or deliberate and polished. All this said, it somehow, someway works — Quality Living deliver dissociative wordplay in tandem with grooving Wurlitzer keys (“Pretty down”), and scuzzy guitar-driven ballads suddenly give way for saxophone segues (“Kite Violit”) to create a cohesive piece of work for fans of Stephen Malkmus and Walter Becker alike. Stream it below.
