Premiere: Dustin Lovelis, ‘Off the Rails’

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Dustin Lovelis’ songwriting chops and ’60s and ’70s pop sensibilities shone on the two albums and an EP released by the Long Beach quintet he fronted, the Fling. Last year, burned out from touring and, Lovelis says, “curtain business aspects of music,” the Fling went on hiatus. Lovelis, though, kept writing, eventually producing enough demos to share with producer Elijah Thomson, the bassist for Everest who has worked on records by the likes of Delta Spirit, Richard Swift and Ivan & Alyosha. With composer/session man Frank Lenz manning the drums, they convened at Elliott Smith’s former home, New Monkey Studios, and two days later they had “Dimensions,” Lovelis’ forthcoming full-length. The album places Lovelis squarely in the parade of vintage-sounding guitarsmiths such as White Fence and Smith Westerns, staring down tumult from within and without with beatific melodies and ascendant choruses. Lovely.

||| Stream: “Off the Rails”

||| Live: Dustin Lovelis plays the Satellite on Wednesday along with the Ceremonies and Two Sheds.