By Katie Olson
@nosloka

Even the title of James Vincent McMorrow’s new album is appealing, as the majority of the U.S. suffers from freezing temperatures.

Post Tropical, the Irish singer-songwriter’s sophomore effort, includes sounds reminiscent of his first album as well as new, more experimental rhythms and instruments. Perhaps this is due to the fact that he left Ireland and headed to a recording studio on the Mexican border to write and record the album.

“Cavalier”, the album single released in mid-October of last year, showcases McMorrow’s signature falsetto as well as an explorative R&B rhythm. The music video displays a young, twenty-something man in a strip club, kissing girls and ordering drinks. As McMorrow croons, “I remember my first love,” over and over, it is discovered that the man isn’t just stoic, but nostalgic for his past.

“The heartbreak of a boy in a small town,” declares Aoife McArdle, the writer and director of the short film, in the video’s description box.

But the sentimentality doesn’t stop there. In “Red Dust” McMorrow aches for someone to comfort him: “Sometimes my hands/ they don’t feel like my own/ I need someone to love/ I need someone to hold”

Aside from the album’s melancholy lyrics, McMorrow explores a new frontier with instrumentation. “Gold” is triumphant, with an array of horns playing the chorus, and “All Points” features tribal drums playing throughout the track. Altogether, McMorrow utilizes more synthesizers and drum machines than he did in his debut album. While this experimentation is refreshing, what will keep listeners coming back is McMorrow’s familiar sentimental lyrics.

Post Tropical is set for release on January 14, 2014.

Post Tropical track list:

1. Cavalier
2. The Lakes
3. Red Dust
4. Gold
5. All Points
6. Looking Out
7. Repeating
8. Post Tropical
9. Glacier
10. Outside, Digging

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For listeners of James Blake and Bon Iver.
McMorrow has recently released tour dates for North America.

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Album cover courtesy of Indie Current.