Do You Love the Color of the Sky?

The Los Angeles-based quintet Dummy steadily made a name for itself during the 2020s as sharp purveyors of the kind of songs and styles that made the 1990s a rich time for all kinds of neo-psychedelia, shoegaze and indie-pop. 2026’s do you love the color of the sky found them extending those possibilities even further all while finding more past-in-present strands to draw on. It says something that the opening “April Limousine” kicks things off with fast drum and bass breaks supporting clearly sung vocals from keyboardist Emily Maatman and swirling looped textures, for instance, all while the song considers a roughening Earth climate. The particular skill that Dummy has as a group now lies in the fact that nothing is simply cloning or pastiche. The familiar touches are ultimately part of their own aesthetic, where a brightly sharp edge and sense of space that’s never slow or dreary gives songs like “N of 1,” “Full Spectrum Dominance,” “Touch the Perfect Speed” and “Omen Globe” an exuberant kick. The longest song, “Squeaky Wheel,” deserves all its time, a proper miniature epic that’s fleet and light.