Steel Train

Trampoline

[3.5/5]

Maybe it has something to do with spending the last few months on tour with the Format, or the fact that it’s been four years since the band’s previous album, but Steel Train sound like a completely different band on their sophomore full-length Trampoline. Instead of unfocused jamming, the album is packed with pop nuggets that alternately recall a less lo-fi version of Dr. Dog or more accessible Apollo Sunshine. However, the most impressive part of Trampoline is the way the band are able to merge melancholy vocals and upbeat instrumentation into a seamless union on tracks like the jangly “I Feel Weird” and psychedelic “A Magazine.” “A fire burns and it is mine,” frontman Jack Antonoff sings on the opener “I Feel Weird.” Here’s hoping it doesn’t go out anytime soon. (DRIVE-THRU; drivethrurecords.com) Jonah Bayer