Spymob return with Another Night, their sixth album and first in more than two decades. The Minneapolis group spent part of that gap on the road as N.E.R.D.’s live band, then rebuilt the lineup around John Ostby, Brent Paschke, and Eric Fawcett. Ostby is back on vocals and piano, with the trio writing, producing, performing, and recording every song themselves. That gives the record a clear handmade feel, but the palette is broader than a three-piece suggests.
The songs lean into 70s pop, funk rock, blue-eyed soul, and power pop, with bass players Sean Hurley and bassx covering the ten tracks, brass from Jesse McGinty and Mike Cordone, and extra vocals, violin, and additional engineering filling out the arrangements. The title track, Forever in Time, and All the Possibilities of Love point toward a melodic, groove-led set, while the song titles suggest a warmer and more conversational side than the band’s N.E.R.D. connection might imply. It was made independently and at a distance, with Ostby and Fawcett in the Twin Cities and Paschke in Los Angeles. Anyone drawn to polished pop-rock with real players, strong hooks, and a little Minneapolis funk should find plenty to spend time with here.
