A New Tide

iTunes Review

Much of Gomez’s appeal lies with their variety and ability to surprise. This is partly because of their wide musical influences, and partly because all five members write songs and they split lead singing duties among three of the members. Somehow they artfully incorporate these different visions and styles and make it mesh, from the straight-up pop of “If I Ask You Nicely” and “Airstream Driver” to the abrupt tempo changes and fuzzy textures of “Mix.” A New Tide is similar to their previous release, 2006’s How We Operate, in that Gomez has restrained some the wilder experimental impulses they’ve shown in the past in favor of tighter, more focused songwriting, and there are some great songs here as a result. They have a ton of imagination and consistently absorbing arrangements, like the sinewy slide guitar and violin that opens “Win Park Slope,” the acoustic finger-picked guitar of “Bone Tired,” the spacey atmospherics on “Sunset Gates,” and the explosive chorus of “Engine.” Over the course of an impressive 12-year career Gomez has been delightfully unpredictable, and A New Tide continues the tradition.