The Static Sea makes its 12-song full length debut on OverPop Music with Third Parties, which is scheduled for release on May 29, 2012. The Jersey City, NJ-based duo released a free, self-titled EP online in 2011 that charmed everyone who heard it, and now with this full-length, Brandon Kleiber and Jimmy Francis make their next creative leap together with the support of OverPop. This is the second release on OverPop Music, which released the much-talked-about Believe in Sound by The Thousand Pities in 2011. While that band’s earnest brand of power pop was punctuated by extensive rock bona fides, The Static Sea’s more inward-looking Third Parties is the work of a young pair of twenty-something who have been playing together on and off while growing up in Keyport, NJ. Recording the album in Kleiber's apartment, the duo used every instrument available to them that wouldn't get Kleiber evicted. Utilizing African and Latin hand drums as well as classic drum machines, the album forgoes the use of the traditional rock drum kit for a sound that is foreign and unique; at times massive in size and at times sparse, allowing the multiple layers of melodic instruments and voices to shine through. The songs expand and constrict instantaneously; a simple guitar and voice explodes into a barrage of instruments in the blink of an eye. Francis’ “Black Diamond” starts off the album with a sharp guitar hook, but soon the song evolves into a subtle tapestry that’s dreamy without being too abstract. The song balances love with sorrow, and you hear both of these emotions play out again and again throughout the album on songs like “Whatever You Want” and “Bar None.” This ongoing sense of introspection is nicely balanced by Kleiber’s taut title track, which captures the electricity of the magical getting-to-know-you phase of a romance with bashing acoustic guitar and synthesizers that zigzag over tinkling piano. The epic “Harbinger” starts as a piano ballad before taking the listener into the realms of pop majesty, weird sidetrips, and operatic drama in under four minutes. Kleiber’s groovy “Set Into Stone,” which is about taking a chance and worrying about the consequences later, skillfully segues into “Carried Over,” a song that finds the narrator dealing the consequences of his actions in what is one of the duo’s most collaborative efforts. Francis’ “Another Hurdle for the Dark Horse,” is another upbeat song that pushes aside self-doubt with this burst of optimism, and it also really seems to sum up the general mindset of the band. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.