Magic sign

"Not exactly one to hide his influences, on Magic Sign, you can still hear trace elements of the listening Courtney might have done in his teens and twenties - you could hazard a guess at Felt, The Feelies, The Clientele, The Byrds - and the influence of the groups that Real Estate came up with, like his friends in Woods. What makes Magic Sign such unceasingly pleasant company, then, is the way it weaves this constellation of influence and artfulness into 10 songs that are lighter than air, deceptively simple, yet cumulatively, surprisingly moving".

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"Remaining in the same musical neighborhood as his debut, its sentiments were inspired by looking back at that transient time just before young adulthood, in his case in the early 2000s. Courtney has said that the title Magic Sign refers to directional signs he and friends would inevitably stumble upon when lost exploring New Jersey suburban sprawl as teens; with time, they were less and less likely to get lost. That lesson in experience and optimism shines through dreamy guitar atmospheres on much of the record ...".

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"The second solo album from the Real Estate frontman defaults to carefree songwriting that explores sacred moments of adolescence in the Jersey suburbs".

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