Although they have been compared to the likes of The Softies and Mazzy Star, Manatella manages to make lo-fi sound full and upbeat. Songwriters Lauren Chase and Alissa Leonard each have distinct voices and styles that lend to an album full of sweet surprises. That album is the duo’s first full-length, Fashionable Neighborhood, which was recorded by producer Jeff Panall at Husband Studios in Chicago, Illinois. It’s a rare that I find a lo-fi album particularly appealing, but I do like their voices and the arrangements.

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