For their third album,
Model
,
Wallows
re-enlisted the services of
John Congleton
, producer of their debut, after having climbed the charts in the interim with an LP recorded with
Ariel Rechtshaid
. Whether that is considered a gamble or not (probably not), the sessions generated a 12-song set that enthusiastically embraces their established, reliably infectious blend of indie pop, dance-rock, and synth pop, and that plays out pretty much like a greatest hits: no mood-killer, no filler. If
suffers from anything, it's sometimes seeming a bit formulaic in the process, but the good news is that
are really good at catchy unlucky-in-love songs. The approach paid off commercially, with
becoming the band's best-charting album yet when it entered the Billboard 200 Top 30 with a little help from the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs-charting pick-me bop "Calling After Me." ~ Marcy Donelson