Pool

February 2016 marks the much-anticipated release of Pool, Porches’ debut full-length for Domino and a major step forward for frontman Aaron Maine—as an evolving singer / songwriter, and as a nascent producer. Written and recorded almost entirely in the Manhattan apartment he shares with his partner and frequent collaborator, Greta Kline a.k.a Frankie Cosmos, Pool is an elegantly drawn set of gorgeous synth-driven pop songs, and an expansive re-articulation of the melancholy we’ve come to expect from him; from the pristine harmonies of “Hour” to the undulating R&B of “Underwater” to the Auto-tuned majesty of the title track. “I feel like I naturally gravitate towards the more melancholic experiences in life,” he says, “but this time around I tried to dissect those moments and somehow extract what was so beautiful about them.” The result—recorded twice, and eventually mixed by Chris Coady (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Tobias Jesso Jr.) in his Los Angeles studio—is a sophisticated and fully immersive listening experience, with Maine’s voice at its center. “I want people to feel dark, beautiful and strong when they hear this new record,” he adds, “I want them to fall in love.”