Matthew Melton goes for the hat trick with Warm Soda’s third LP, “Symbolic Dream”. Vacuum-sealed and impeccably arranged power-pop for that teenage sweet tooth. Melton is running a clinic on timeless teen-angst jams – like it ain’t nothing he’s throwing 2nd bridges and double choruses into the mix, and the production gets just a few hairs closer to perfect, with a masterful blend of soft focus, punch, and dusty sparkle.

The nooks and crannies of this little banger, from the subtle turnarounds, to the perfect hi hat sound, reward repeat listens. He’s covering familiar bases with Symbolic Dream – it’s the finely tuned 80s Corvette that’s gonna get your ass kicked out of school, it’s your girlfriend’s dad hanging up the phone, it’s the world intruding on a nascent romance that just wasn’t meant to last…but he keeps it fresh-faced as that new girl in AP Chemistry.

Watch “Cryin’ For A Love” on CMJ