The new LP from Long Island’s Macseal is a nostalgia-soaked record that is sure to transport you back to the pop rock of the 90s and early 2000s. On “Permanent Repeat,” the band continues to push past their early Midwest emo sound by leaning more into indie rock.  The band that comes to mind mostly as an influence here is Oso Oso. This isn’t too surprising given that the record was excellently produced by Billy Mannino, who has contributed to many Oso projects.  

Permanent Repeat is one of those albums that just feels like Summer. The record is filled with sun-washed, catchy melodies that make you want to roll the windows down and crank the stereo on your car.   This is evident on many songs across the record, but mostly on singles “Golden Harbor” and “Four Legs.”  “Four Legs” gives a Weezer vibe, which is perfectly fitting since this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Blue album. 

There’s something about Macseal that creates the feeling of intense nostalgia. While this can be partially attributed to the band pulling from nostalgic-sounding melodies of the 90s and early 2000s, it is also due in large part to their vocal delivery.  Ryan Bartlett and Cole Szilagyi do an excellent job at selling us on this feeling. You can especially hear this conveyed on the deep cut “Beach Vacation,” which is a bright and catchy pop song that brings me back to childhood summer vacations with friends.

The use of acoustic guitar on this record is tastefully achieved through careful layering.  Throughout the record the acoustic guitar adds flavoring to the album that really helps drive home that shimmery summer feeling of 90s alt rock.  The instrument is well established in the album’s opener, “A+B,” and never feels out of place on the record.  The album is sonically simple, with mostly electric guitar, bass and drums. The addition of the acoustic guitar throughout the record really helps give the album another sonic texture. 

Perhaps the most surprising song on this record comes during the fourth track, “Easily Undone.”  On the band’s press release for the album,  they mentioned Michelle Branch as an influence for this record. This song nails that sound directly on the head.  It’s one of the catchiest pop rock songs of the year, and a sound I absolutely adore.  There are not many bands pulling off this sound as well as Macseal in 2024.

“Permanent Repeat” ends incredibly strong with two album highlights.  “Hide Out” is a catchy song that feels the most like the band’s last record, “Super Enthusiast.”  The lyrics, “Slow down, you wanted to hide out in  my head, but you were already there”, are simple but sold on the vocal delivery and melodic phrasing.  The song ends with a beautiful guitar riff that reminds me of the Goo Goo Dolls in the best way.  Meanwhile, “Afloat” breaks the trend of ending albums with a slower song and closes the album out with what could be the record’s best chorus. 

It is clear that with “Permanent Repeat,”Macseal are not aiming to break any boundaries musically. Though the album borrows heavily from earlier time periods in alternative rock and indie music, I think that is exactly the point of “Permanent Repeat.” The band set out to write hooky pop-rock songs that invoke feelings of yearning for the past. It’s hard to imagine a better sonic backdrop than what they’ve created for this album, and I’m sure you’ll find yourself wanting to put it on (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) permanent repeat. 

Rating: 8.7/10

Release date: 7/12/2024

Tracklist: 

A+B

Golden Harbor

Four Legs

Easily Undone

October

Permanent Repeat

Beach Vacation

Your Door

Dinner For Two

Hide Out

Afloat

Reviewed by Bryan Williams