New music: Squeeze, SLD

In this column, I review the latest studio albums from Squeeze and SLD.

Artist: Squeeze
Title: Trixies (BMG/Love Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Squeeze, The Beatles, The Zombies
Tell me more: British rock band Squeeze is back. Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook were just 19 and 16 respectively back in 1974 when they wrote the songs on the newly-released 13-track album Trixies (the album was demo-ed at the time but never released). The sixteenth studio album by Squeeze, the ambitious material taps into both imagination and nostalgia; Trixies focuses on a fictional members' club that the duo dreamt up in the early 1970s with its arc set in the "future" (the 1980s). This is a masterwork that features a parade of great songs, but those songs are even more compelling when heard as part of the complete album. Early standouts include the evocative opener "What Moore Can I Say," tender acoustic sortie "You Get the Feeling," the David Bowie-mining "The Place We Call Mars," the genre-defying rocker "Hell on Earth" and unsettling "The Dancer." The album's strengths play out on the last half courtesy of the jazzy "Good Riddance," edgy "Don't Go Out in the Dark," driving melodic rocker "Why Don't You," dreamy "It's Over" and stylish "Trixies, Pt. 1." Trixies marks the first new studio album from Squeeze since 2017's The Knowledge. Information: squeezeofficial.com.

Artist: SLD
Title: Look Back (Kool Kat Musik)
You might like if you enjoy: Badfinger, Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney
Tell me more: Singer-songwriter Paul Costanza is back with the latest full-length LP from SLD, the wonderful aptly-titled collection Look Back. Melody and solid songcraft — along with winning lyrics focused on memories from Costanza's past — take center stage across the 12-track disc. From the soaring opener "Nothing Can Stop Me" and charmingly Beatlesque "Bye Bye" to the '60s-flavored rocker "Come Back," music hall gem "A Look Back," exuberant "Everywhere She Goes" and shimmering acoustic nugget "Little Man," the album takes the listener on a wonderful listen. Information: koolkatmusik.com.

Robert Kinsler