You get the feeling of finding some long-lost ’60s power pop when listening to the local brother duo Sunshine Production Company.
On their debut, Autumn’s Reflection, brothers Andrew and Wyatt Moser lock into a nostalgia for bands like The Association, The Zombies, and Brian Wilson, as well as the innocence of youth with the good and heartbreak that come with it.
Recorded with Jason Davis at Off The Cuff Sound, the album builds a lush pop sound that emanates a warmth of familiarity. Playing all the instruments on the record (with Davis covering drum duties) Andrew and Wyatt make this record very much their own.
Autumn’s Reflection brings to mind bands of the mid-60s while also more contemporary artists like Lemon Twigs, Wondermints, and Dent May. The lush arrangements also seem to pay homage to the great Brill Building songwriters like Burt Bacharach and Wilson’s muse Van Dyke Parks.
Opening with the buoyant “Clouds,” a swirl of keys, flute, and a feeling of timelessness surround the listener. This is the time-worn gate that opens and gives us access to this wonderful sound journey. “I Can Guarantee You Love,” a Tony Rivers & The Castaways cover, shines with paisley psychedelia, layered in Zombies pop melancholy. “It’s True” has a jaunty piano and a swing groove that makes its way into an almost doo wop track, melding ’50s swoon and ’60s sunshine.
The second half of the album sports a very ’60s thing: a medley. A pop suite of sorts, the songs bleed into each other and give us a concept sound journey about love and loss and how the power of music can help us process those emotions. Former lead vocalist Amelia Story shows up on the gorgeous album closer “Help Is on the Way.”
Andrew and Wyatt Moser have made quite a unique record in that it stands very much on its own in terms of local bands. Nobody is doing anything quite like Autumn’s Reflection in The Fort. It’s a breezy, melody-driven ’60s throwback that will appeal to anyone looking for soaring harmonies, melancholy melodies, and songs that stay with you long after the album ends.