VIDEO AGE - Pleasure Line LP (Purple Royalty Vinyl)

Label: Winspear

Video Age’s third album, due out on August 7, 2020, pairs neon-bright 80s pop melodies with a vast range of influences (including Janet Jackson, David Bowie, and Paul McCartney) to create an optimistic sound all their own. The influences vary song to song, but they’re all tinted with the same rosy hue, and Ross says, “I’m often trying to create a more idealized version of the world I’m in.” Video Age’s first two albums were about loneliness and discovering oneself, but Pleasure Line takes on a whole new attitude.

Pleasure Line is a salve that protects against cynicism—listening to this album, you can’t help but feel the world around you is full of romantic potential. In the hands of Video Age, even the mundanities of touring are transformed into a mood-lifting ode to their 1995 white “Aerostar.” When asked how he manages to stay so positive on the road, Ray says, “Playing music is a joy and a privilege.” That kind of sincerity bleeds from every song on this album, creating not only nostalgia for good times past, but also hope for a better future.