Real Estate, the laid back, beach bum rockers out of New Jersey, returned last week with the release of their sophomore effort, titled Days.  The album, while not straying far off from the winning success of their 2009 self titled debut, is full of nostalgia dripping tunes, perfect for one of those pleasant fall nights that still holds on to memories of summer.  What sets Days apart Real Estate's first record though are the little things:  crisper guitar notes, vocals that have stripped the haze back just enough, and an added sense of melancholy that their debut only hinted at.

Following the urgent first single, the peppy "It's Real", whose lyrics is as simple as they are reflective ("It's real as far as I can see"), the mellow, instrumental "Kinder Blumen" drifts and flows with various percussion sprinkled along the way.  Days' centerpiece comes early in the album, the slow burning, decidedly "madchester" less Stone Roses influenced "Green Aisles" finds lead singer Martin Courtney both reminiscing over the past, yet in no hurry to relive it as he sings of "endless drives" and "careless lifestyles."  Originally released as a stand along single in 2010, "Out of Tune" remains the blissed out jangle that pleased me so last fall, while "Wonder Years" sees bassist Alex Bleeker, who like guitarist Matthew Mondanile(Ducktails) has his own side band (Alex Bleeker and the Freaks) taking lead on vocals on the album's sweetest and most upbeat track.

The album's final track, and also their longest, the steady "All the Same", is the group's most Sea & Cake esque song to date.  Courtney, whose relaxed, effortless vocals frequently recall the even more breezy delivery of  S& C front man Sam Prekop, offers an almost lackadaisical look at day and night, finding not much difference in the two.  The track, which ends with a jam as meditative and meticulous as you will find this year, leads the album to a calming, sombre finish.  Although finding any negatives to this album will be a difficult task, most of Real Estate's critics' only complaint on the band is that their mellow tunes are anything but memorable, rather flowing from song to song at a forgettable pace.  Normally, I would agree, but Days is a record those shows growth is not always a radical change, but rather delicate tinkering.  Whether the songs stand alone or meld into one drifting piece of music, the lasting impression they leave in your memory is not one to go away any time soon.