Garrett Hobba sounds more British than his Seattle address might suggest. Hobba did start writing the songs for Departure during a several-month stay in Europe and had the album mixed in London by Abbey Road veteran engineer Guy Massey, whose other clients include Spiritualized. But Hobba’s songs have always had elements of The Clientele and Trembling Blue Stars in their somber gaits, and even his obvious American influences held evidence of their own British leanings. Departure isn’t as a much a “departure” as a refocus on Hobba’s musical strengths. The grey overcast days of the Pacific Northwest certainly affect his mood, and by leaning into what comes easiest and most natural brings an honesty to the modest swirl of “Golden Hour,” “Black Flowers," and “Road to the Sun,” the opening trio of tunes that expand from the Dean Wareham–like patterns of Luna into the early-‘70s feel of Wilco members’ Autumn Defense. The psychedelic strains rise up, especially for “How Can I Explain?” and “Stairs,” where Hobba raises the band’s pulse rate a few notches.