Air Mail is the folky slacker rock solo project of New Zealand-based musician and songwriter, Niko Francis. Most of Francis’ musical output is done in the form of a country-tinged alternative rock collaboration called A-Go-Go, but this spring Air Mail is delivering a perfectly packaged back-to-basics indie folk rock mini album with a.m. Continental.
Like the small budding flowers and bright green patches of grass that spring brings with it, the album’s sunny guitar riffs and uncomplicated chord progressions are familiar and warmingly hopeful. Additional twee coloring is added with plinky pianos and acoustic guitars, the occasional harmonica, slide guitar, jugband organs, and cello accompaniment. Francis’ frail and feathered vocals have a youthful buoyancy that perfectly match the tender and preciously compact songs.
Described as an “an ode to people, places, and memories carried by the continental U.S.”, each song feels one of a series of postcards collected on the various stops made along a memorable trip. The visualizer of “Won’t You” is actually a video slideshow detailing Air Mail’s North American travels and adds to the songs-as-journal-entries aesthetic that a.m. Continental carries. The cozy lo-fi feel of songs like “All the Same” and “You Go” feel like they could easily be slipped into a 2010s coming-of-age indie film alongside the Shins, Dr. Dog, and early Of Montreal songs.
A pleasant and enjoyable little jaunt through precious songs that capture the feeling of an impressionable journey, a.m. Continental is a fun listening trip you’ll want to have your passport stamped for. The album is streaming now on all major platforms. Take a listen to it below.
Written by John Brouk
