The third full-length outing from Los Angeles-based, Italian-born bedroom pop auteur Mauro Remiddi, Microclimate is a dream-like and richly textured collection of sonic ruminations that split the difference between heady chillwave and Scandinavian pop grandeur. Remiddi did his fair share of globe-trotting prior to recording the 11-track set, citing Bali, California's Big Sur, and Barbados, among others, as particularly potent ports of inspiration, and that worldly vibe is established early on via standouts like "Distant Shore" and "Big Sur." The former, a velvety and propulsive blast of two-lane-highway-ready soundtrack music, and the latter a dreamy dip into the coastal waters of its rugged namesake, suggest an equatorial Sigur Rós, or a less ostentatious All Is Dream-era Mercury Rev -- Remiddi's elastic tenor is often a dead ringer for Rev frontman Jonathan Donahue. For the most part, the whole set feels bathed in light, but things get downright feral on the muscular "Accelerating Curve," a dark and nervy late-album gem that finds Remiddi wrestling with existential dread and pushing his voice into uncharted territory. Outside of "Big Sur," and to a lesser extent, the Soft Bulletin-adoring "Kookaburra," Microclimate largely avoids coming off like some sort of Bohemian travelog. travelog lyrics are inward-looking and surreal, and he parses through his myriad experiences with an artist's selfish/selfless touch. Microclimate may be homespun, but it's Porcelain Raft's most cosmopolitan and lived-in sounding offering to date. It's a record that consistently compels, even when it confounds. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi

1		The Earth Before Us
2		Distant Shore
3		Big Sur
4		Rolling Over
5		Rising
6		Kookaburra
7		The Greatest View
8		Bring Me to the River
9		Accelerating Curve
10		The Poets Were Right
11		Zero Frame Per Second

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