“Afraid of Heights,” San Diego punk band Wavves’ latest release, is arguably their most mature effort yet. From the outset, the album is simultaneously comforting and noisy as “Sail to the Sun” opens with deceitfully dreamy instrumentals and quickly morphs into a classic surf–rock–esque Wavves song. After three studio releases, Wavves has finally achieved a strong, adventurous album that does not indulge itself. With fuzzy, relaxed tracks like “Dog” and “I Can’t Dream” and upbeat, powerhouse songs like “Lounge Forward” and “Beat Me Up,” Wavves both avoids the redundancy of past releases and begs listeners to stay for the whole show.
GRADE: A
Sounds best when: Paired with a surfing montage
99-Cent Download: “Lounge Forward”
