Planet Pearl, true to form, is a hypnotic vision-quest conjuring moonlight, tropical waters, exotic botany and buzzing things in flight. But it isn't all bubbles and fizz in Oysterville. Having always played imaginatively with the personae of crash-landed aliens, on Planet Pearl our voyaging strangers sing to the alienation of a journey closer to reality - navigating the daunting environs of Los Angeles, the digital age of creation-as-content, and the rootlessness of long cross-continental tours with their 5-piece band.

For all its lush loveliness and the pure ASMR pleasure of its textures in headphones, Planet Pearl represents a more bittersweet, reflective journey for the Oysters' canon to date. On their 5th full-length album, the band feels sufficiently introduced; they're ready for another level of intimacy - truthier conversations. An attentive listener does well to connect with darker whispers in some of the band's most outwardly charming songs. With an evolved depth of intimacy, and an unflagging zeal for experiment and play, the experience of Planet Pearl heralds a brave and prolific future for our restless voyagers.