Irene are roughly eleven Swedes that throw it all the way back to the early ’60s with a sound that’s like Frank Sinatra meets The Shirelles. Heavy crooning by Bobby and sweet melodies from Nancy produce a charming dynamic over a happy, old school pop sound that’s not cheesy, and definitely light-hearted.
The fanfare and claps lift the mood throughout the album, and the two-minute songs fly by before you’ve even fully extended your grin. "Ba-da-da" and "du-du-du" in several songs do everything in their power to make this album feel good, and it certainly does. Apple Bay transports you back to your parents youth, as if these folks just stepped out of a time machine themselves.
Apple Bay kicks off with a quick shanty over ocean sounds, then jumps into the sun, like that one old Coca-Cola commercial. "Stardust" flourishes up a brass bouquet then taps through a fond recollection. "To Be With You" is one of those "I’ll do anything" songs, and comes off with fun and sincerity. The entire album sounds as if you just ripped off someone at a garage sale and got a great deal.
"Cold Feet" is a loungy duet ("The sunlight kissed our feet/But you got cold feet") with a syllablic refrain that takes most seriousness out of the song, and replaces it with charm. "Baby I Love Your Way" bounces down the hill on piano jamming, trumpet flaring, and vocal cascading. "Summer’s Gone" flows on sheepish "ba"s, and even in the dead of winter, it could convince you it’s the last day of summer.
This is about as feel-good as an indie pop album gets, so sugary sweet that kids in the 1960’s candyshops would get a cavity. The masculine vocals give the sound an extra edge, and the orchestration of all the instruments comes off genuinely. They’ve mastered the throwback pop sound as much as anyone out there.
