“I laugh when you want me to / I splash into your mood,” Dirty Projectors‘ Maia Friedman sings on the second song of the supergroup, Coco’s, second album, simply called 2. Along with Oliver Hill of Pavo Pavo and Dan Molad of Lucius, it started as an effort to write songs without any name recognition but eventually word got out. They still approach their writing with a blind eye to their audience and a pure love for song.

Whether it’s “Moodrings” with its European feel, “For George” with its whistling bossanova, “Precious Things” with its beautiful harmonies, or “Cora Lu” with its Beatles’ folkiness, they cover a lot of ground on this record. They take turns singing on songs, and often add three-part harmonies to their songs, showing the chemistry that they have as songwriters and singers and players. It’s a laid back record, to be sure; something you could imagine putting on and going for a long ride in your car. But also provides some solace to their listeners.

“We fight, we fight / Are we ever gonna get this right?” they sing to end the album, after indie-genius songs like “Mythological Man” and “The Swimmer.” They tap into many genres and expertly play their instruments, but there is something wonderfully understated and satisfyingly subtle about the whole record. Chalk it up to writers and performers long in their game.

At thirty some minutes, it’s a nice sonic journey through three friends’ minds and hearts. Something, now that their names are attached to the project, that can springboard you into their other acts, which usually have a much different feel than this record. It’s nice to see what seasoned artists can do with a different color palette. “I know a place / Where you can tell / Which is which / Everything is blue / And I wanna go there with you / Cora Lu.” But I’d say the palette for this record is more yellow than blue. It’s a sunshiny record, for a lazy day. A pretty chill record, as deep as it is beautiful.

Order 2 by Coco HERE