It’s The Endless Summer.

The four-piece Spanish outfit Delorean defines summer grooves on their bliss-fueled Ayrton Senna EP (2009).  Originating in the Basque country, the group first formed with a penchant for Elliott Smith styled lyricism over Jimmy Eat World rock riffs.  Somewhere along the way they abandoned this lachrymose attitude, adopting an effervescent, care-free one in its place.  Perhaps following the eco-movement’s paradigm, their melancholy lyrics and heavy sonics were traded for lighter, bubblier chants and organically evolving, rhythmic synthesizers.  Never has a gestalt-switch of this magnitude been more encouraged (re: The 2008 US presidential election is a close 2nd).

Ayrton Senna is not the band’s first outing and it shows.  Rather than fracturing their product by trying to infuse too many ideas, too many emotions, too much concept into this EP, Delorean focuses itself on a singular aim.  As if taken from the notes of a lethargic student of Aristotle, the equation for this album seems to be “Happiness=The Good”.  Each track drips with the euphoric sweat of ecstasy-driven nights.  As they expand and fractalize, the mounting anticipation to reach the impending melodies has you literally leaning forward.  When the melodies finally crest, you’re blown backwards creating a head-bobbing two-step that’ll have your asking if they can borrow your copy of Darrin’s Dance Grooves.  Take it from me (an admittedly terrible dancer), Delorean takes hold of you in the most visceral way, and plays with your limbs like only a master puppeteer could.  “You can’t help but dance!” my mom retorted, when I called her out for actually liking some of my music.

Though their tracks can be deconstructed through water metaphors (the swells, the crests, feeling washed over by rapturous waves?), it seems as though Delorean consciously abstains from the term and concept of ebbing.  At no point on this 18 minute EP can you recognize dénouement, and in that way it epitomizes the feeling of the perfect summer. It’s The Endless Summer.  I mean, we all know summer’s got to end at some point.  And there are those people that spend all of August dreading September’s arrival.  But Delorean isn’t concerned with such anxiety.  They’re the cool kids who aren’t quite sure what day school starts, who don’t make plans, who don’t think of 401k’s.  The EP’s namesake reminds us that, though alien to many of us, this lifestyle actually exists.  That people, like Brazil’s Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna da Silva, live life in the moment even if it isn’t the most prudent choice.  It’s unfortunate, but all things must end (Re: 2nd Noble Truth).  Racecar drivers are going to crash, Septembers are going to come, and amazing EPs are going to finish playing, but Delorean proves that if we live in the moment, maybe it can all last a little longer.

Karthik Sonty is a recent graduate of Colby College with a penchant for philosophy, strong opinions on music, and obsession with rock-climbing.  He placates these passions by writing these musical perspectives down, infusing some philosophy, and sending them to a journal in a town called Boulder.  He has written in a broad array of media, including documents for the UN’s World Food Programme, papers for Undergraduate Symposia, and a music blog called PolarBear NeckWear.  Since he graduated, he has been trying to reconcile his idealistic urges to save the world, his youthful urges to explore the world, and practical urges to survive the world.